How Long is Forever?
by ChristianGateFan
Summary: Amaunet captures and tortures Daniel, planning to kill him. But how did his future self get there? The original SG1 and the new team collide in unexpected ways as emotions are stretched thin and chaos threatens to rule. Seasons 3 and 9
1. Dreams

How Long is Forever?

Daniel Jackson was trapped. He was trapped on an alien world, brought here against his will, by a means he didn't yet understand. He was trapped in a Goa'uld facility belonging to Apophis, the one person-or thing, or whatever-he hated most in the entire universe. He was trapped in the grip of the two serpent guards that held him between them, wouldn't allow him to move even an inch.

Not that he would have been able to move much if they weren't holding him so tightly that his arms hurt. Because not only was he caught between them, but Daniel was trapped in the clutches of a Goa'uld hand device trained on his aching forehead. Pain racked his entire body so harshly that by all rights he should have been trembling violently, but he couldn't move. He couldn't struggle. His knees had given out long ago from the torture, but the two jaffa still held him halfway up, and by now his arms felt as if they didn't let go soon, they would tear from their sockets.

This wasn't right. This wasn't where he was supposed to be. The Goa'uld had been defeated. Except for Baal, they weren't a threat anymore. There shouldn't have been one trying to kill him, or get information from him, or whatever it was this one was trying to do. Daniel couldn't really remember anymore. This had been going on for too long; his mind was too blurred. But he knew this had happened before, in a way…

But that wasn't it. No, the worst part of it all was that Daniel was trapped in a nightmare that refused to end. Because the face that loomed before him, not quite in focus anymore because of his blurring vision, was too familiar, too precious to him to be the cause of the agony he was feeling.

But it was reality. He knew his eyes weren't lying, hadn't been lying to him since he had been brought here. And the knowledge brought with it an even more unbearable agony, one that tore at his heart relentlessly, one that showed on his face more clearly than anything else as he stared helplessly up at his tormentor, forcing back one of the loud groans of pain that had issued from his mouth so often in recent hours.

Instead the stricken young archaeologist forced himself to speak, even though it only made the pain worse.

"Sha're…" Daniel gasped once.

But of course she did not reply. Amaunet only frowned and increased the intensity of the orange beam leaping from the ribbon device to his forehead, and Daniel shouted, his face twisting in agony as the pain increased exponentially. He hadn't even thought that was possible. _Obviously I was wrong, _he thought helplessly as his vision began to darken quickly. _About more than just that…_

And Daniel Jackson's world abruptly went black.

* * *

Three Days Earlier

(Or six years previously, from his point of view…)

"Hey Sam, wait up!" Daniel's voice called from down the hallway.

Samantha Carter slowed her slightly urgent pace enough to glance over her shoulder at Jackson, coming up behind her. Then she did a double take on him.

_I've got to stop doing that,_ she scolded herself as she stopped to comply with his request. She was still getting used to the shorter hair thing.

Seconds later, an out of breath Daniel Jackson caught up to her, and both continued together, their pace a bit slower than either's had been a moment before.

"Thanks," Daniel said, catching his breath. "I thought I was gonna be late-glad to see I'm not the only one running close." He was referring to the mission briefing they were both on their way to.

Sam looked over at him and smiled. "Same here," she admitted good-naturedly.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah…So, where are we off to this time?"

"Um…P5R-316," Carter replied after a pause in thought. "They just sent the M.A.L.P. through, so we should be able to see some of the telemetry after the briefing.

A moment later, the two of them were climbing the stairs to their destination. When they arrived, Daniel glanced self-consciously at the clock on the wall. He was relieved to see that General Hammond, Colonel O'Neill, and Teal'c, who were already present, were simply early. The two doctors were not late, but right on time. That surreptitiously assessed, Jackson and Carter took their places around the table, and the general began the briefing.

* * *

After the briefing, SG-1 sat gathered around one of the computers in the control room that looked out over the Stargate, studying the telemetry the M.A.L.P. probe had sent back about P5R-316.

It seemed like a normal enough world, nothing unusual. From what the probe had been able to see, the Stargate on the planet was surrounded by trees when one reached the edge of the small clearing it sat in. There was no sign of civilization, but then again there could be anything beyond those trees, Jackson reminded them, and they should still look. Teal'c didn't recognize anything in the area, so the team prepared for a run-of-the-mill reconnaissance mission, though still, as always, unsure of exactly what they would find on the other side.

Late that afternoon they parted, all headed for their respective homes to rest before they headed out at 0900 the next morning.

* * *

What the probe did _not_ pick up was the jaffa patrol that watched the Stargate on the planet in question. They were too well hidden, and for good reason.

The moment the M.A.L.P. came through the familiar blue vortex, bounced down the stone steps and stopped several feet from the Gate, the serpent guards sprung into action, though still staying out of sight of the camera that they knew would be atop the device.

Almost immediately the message of the arriving Tau'ri machine was sent quickly to their master, Apophis. He, in turn, relayed the information to his queen, who was more than delighted to hear it.

* * *

In space around the planet, several large ships surrounded two even larger ones, hu'tack class vessels. Apophis stood with Amaunet on the bridge of one of the two Goa'uld mother ships.

The alien false god turned to the woman beside him. "I must leave on my own business now, my queen, but I wish you well in your quest."

Amaunet bowed her head. "I will not fail you again, my lord. Before I return to you this time, the human will be dead, and I assure you it will be the worst one possible." At the last part, there was a hint of an evil, anticipating smile on the impassive, beautiful face as it rose again.

Apophis smiled and nodded once in satisfaction. "I hope as much."

And then, with a final stroke of her cheek, he left. Moments later he had ringed to his own ship, and the fleet separated. The majority of it jumped almost immediately into hyperspace with Apophis's ship, but two or three remained with their queen. Not long after Apophis had gone, Amaunet gave the order that sent her own ships into hyperspace, but in the opposite direction.

* * *

She was there. Sha're was _there_. Over two years he'd waited, begged silently for the chance to rescue her, to bring her back into his life as the wonderful woman she was, not as the evil thing that the parasite that had taken over her body was. He had had her once, a few months before, but she had slipped through his fingers again.

But now she was _here_. She was standing right in front of him, once again dressed in the simple, brown robes of her home planet Abydos, the planet he had adopted as his own. Once again she smiled warmly, and her eyes looked at him softly, lovingly, not glowing. Her arms were open wide, welcoming him.

For a moment Daniel didn't know what to do. It was too good to be true. But then joy overran his uncertainties, and he ran toward her. But as he drew closer, Sha're began to change. Before he could stop his advance, the brown robes had melted away to reveal the colorful robes of an Egyptian goddess, her warm eyes and smile had disappeared, to be replaced by the cold, impassive stare he had come to hate so much. Worst of all, her arms were no longer open to him. A Goa'uld ribbon device had appeared on her left hand.

Daniel's eyes barely had time to widen in shock and horror, before she thrust out with the hand device, and he felt himself pushed off the ground, blown back across the room he couldn't identify. He landed hard, cried out in pain. And then she was on him, the ribbon device still active. He felt smothered, suffocated, and she was no longer smiling, not even still impassive. That was bad enough. But no, she was…she was laughing at him.

He tried to say something, plead with her, get through to his wife, but it was no use. He knew death was close. If only he had been able to tell her he loved her one last time…

"Sha're!" Daniel shouted, bolting upright in his bed.

Breathing heavily, he looked around. He was still in his own bed. He was still alive. It was the middle of the night, and this was his apartment, not his dream. Oh, that dream…

Daniel buried his face in his hands, trying to return his breathing to normal.

_Sha're…_he thought in despair. It had been months since he'd even seen her, more than two years since she had been taken from him, invaded by the Goa'uld Amaunet, taken over.

Daniel hadn't cried since just after his last encounter with her, since seeing her and not being able to save her. But the dream had awakened so many of the feelings that he always had to keep buried in order to keep himself functioning normally.

And now,Daniel cried. He collapsed back against his pillows and sobbed into them. _I promised her we would be together forever. I couldn't keep that promise…_


	2. Virus

Okay people, here's chapter two! I hope you enjoy it:) Please Review!

Chapter 2

_Daniel smiled softly as his wife snuggled against him in the cool, early hours of the morning on Abydos. It had only been two months since Jack O'Neill and the other two survivors of the Abydos mission from earth had gone back, and he had chosen to remain. Two months spent with his new wife and his new people, her people, 'their' people, months he would never forget._

_"Dan'iel?" Sha're said softly. _

_"Mmm?" he replied. _

_"You won't ever leave me, will you?" she asked innocently. _

_"Of course not," he assured her, wrapping his arms more tightly around her. "We'll be together forever."_

_In the darkness, her lips formed around the new English word. "Forever? Dan'iel, how long is 'forever'?"_

_Daniel's smile only widened, as much at her innocent question and the sound of her voice as at his own thoughts of their future together. _

_"Forever is a 'long' time, Sha're," he assured her quietly, comfortingly. "I'm not going anywhere. I love you," he said sincerely, leaning down to kiss her. _

_"I love you too, Dan'iel," Sha're replied when they pulled back from the kiss. Then once again she rested her head on his chest, and both fell back into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

_

The memory both saddened Daniel and made him smile through his tears. For several minutes he stared at the ceiling, thinking of her, remembering his favorite times from their life on Abydos before she had been taken, even if it had only lasted one brief year.

Finally he realized that he should really try to get back to sleep, if he wanted to be fresh for the mission in the morning. He closed his eyes and tried, but something kept nagging at his mind. Something told that something was wrong, or something would go wrong. Daniel tried to ignore whatever it was, but no matter how hard he tried, sleep eluded him for the rest of the night.

* * *

Amaunet stepped out of the rings as they deactivated, depositing her and an honor guard of jaffa on a small planet in the middle of nowhere, a hidden base underground base only accessible by rings, or the Stargate that loomed as the center of attention at one end of the main room. The room was huge, the rings at the other end, surrounded by crates of supplies, weapons, and other things. More serpent guards awaited her arrival. As soon as the light of the ring transporter ceased, the goddess pointed her attention to the jaffa most obviously in charge at this facility.

"My Queen," he bowed deeply. "The machine is still alone the planet, but the Tau'ri will undoubtedly send a team through soon, just as you suspected."

"Indeed, and more than likely it will be the infamous SG-1, part of which is the man we want," she replied, nodded. "Very good. Is the virus ready to be sent to earth?"

There the man hesitated. "A version of it ready, My Lady, but it still has a few flaws….Our scientists are still working-and quickly-to produce a better draft for you."

"There is no time," Amaunet stated quickly. "It must be sent before the humans come through the gate. If we miss them, we may not get another chance for a long while."

"But, My Lady," the jaffa faltered. "It is not entirely ready. In its present state, it might not work properly. It is prone to malfunction…"

"I said, _send it!_" Amaunet said loudly, her eyes flaring with the glow of the Goa'uld.

The man backed away hesitantly, bowing low. "Yes, my Queen." He turned to his men "_Jaffa, Kree!_" At the command, all turned to him, and he issued the order for the Stargate to be dialed.

* * *

A young lieutenant stuck on the graveyard shift in the control room looked up in alarm when suddenly the "Unscheduled Off-world Activation" signal went off. Who would be coming unscheduled in the middle of the night?

Seconds later, the gate activated, but the iris was already activated. The young man waited tensely, but nothing happened-no audio, video, or even text messages, and no impact sounds from the other side of the sealed metal barrier. By the time General Hammond arrived on the site, it had shut down again. The gate had only been active for a few seconds.

Nothing seemed to be wrong. It had just opened and closed again. What they didn't notice because of the lack of presence of more expertise, was the discrete signal that had been sent into their computer system from the Goa'uld base currently commanded by Amaunet. The unnoticeable virus that was to sit dormant until the next morning, when it would be needed.

* * *

O'Neill and Carter noticed immediately that Daniel looked tired the next morning when they gathered in the Gate room for departure. It took Teal'c a minute or so longer.

"Something wrong, Daniel?" Jack asked as the gate began to spin.

"Chevron One, encoded."

For a moment Jackson didn't reply, somewhat spaced out. Then he realized what O'Neill had asked him. "Huh? Oh. No, I'm fine."

"You sure about that?" Carter prodded. "You don't look so great."

"You do indeed look tired, Daniel Jackson. Are you certain you acquired enough rest last night?"

This time Daniel sighed. "No, I guess I didn't," he admitted. "I kind of hardly slept at all…"

"Chevron Five, encoded," came the voice from the control room.

"Should we scrub this and wait until tomorrow? Carter's right, you don't look so hot," O'Neill said sincerely.

Jackson shook his head. "No, it's all right, Jack. Let's go, I'll be fine."

"Chevron Seven, locked!" With those words, the Stargate whooshed open, spewing its deadly wave of particles as the wormhole formed, then collapsed back in on itself, leaving a shimmering, watery blue surface inside the huge gray ring of naquida.

Jack O'Neill look at open Gate, thought for a moment, then look back at Daniel and the rest of his team. "All right, if you say so, Daniel. Let's move out, campers."


	3. Sha're

Dang it! I just realized that I screwed up! Apophis was supposedly dead in the third season, and thus not around. Sorry about that. I forgot. Anyway, I'll just refrain from mentioning him from now on, okay? Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy and review please!

Chapter 3

Daniel was about to step through the event horizon after O'Neill and Teal'c, but Carter's hand on his arm stopped him. When he turned to look at her, he realized that she had planned this from the moment she had seen him that morning-letting the others go through first to leave the two of them alone.

"Daniel…you sure you don't want to tell me why you couldn't sleep last night?" she asked with genuine concern.

The young archeologist looked at her for a moment. He knew he wouldn't have been able to say much about it to Jack or Teal'c, but maybe he could to Sam…After all, she was a woman, and she had always understood him a bit better than the other two…

Finally he broke her gaze and looked away, sighing heavily. "It was…nightmares."

Her face asked him to keep going. "I was dreaming about her…" he added quietly.

Immediately Carter's face softened even more in understanding. "Sha're?" Daniel nodded. The major put her hand on his shoulder and moved it to pat his arm comfortingly. "Hey, it's all right. We'll find her again."

"Yeah. I know she's out there somewhere…" His voice trailed off, stopped altogether. A moment later it came back, and it sounded suddenly for all the world as if the conversation they'd just had hadn't happened, like he'd pushed it to the back of his mind to get on with the mission.

"Well, we'd better get going," Daniel said, his voice no longer soft but at normal volume-maybe even a bit louder.

Sighing, Carter nodded in agreement, and the two of them stepped through.

* * *

Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c's journey was not interrupted. Safely they stepped out of the gate onto P5R-316. The virus had not awoken fast enough. They were allowed to pass to their destination normally. However, it had come to full attention by the time Major Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson had stepped into the wormhole. Surreptitiously, so as not to alert anyone at Stargate Command, as it had been programmed, it altered their course. 

It wasn't so un-noticeable to the two travelers it affected, though. Both noticed the severe jolt, even in their dematerialized state, and when they stepped through the Stargate on the other side, both realized immediately that had, in fact, gone wrong.

* * *

As expected, less than a second after stepping through the Earth Gate, Jack stepped through the gate on P5R-316, Teal'c right on his heels. He took a deep breath of fresh air and let it out with a sound of satisfaction. 

"Well, kids, seems nice enough here. I wonder how friendly the locals…are…"

O'Neill's voice trailed off when he saw that the only 'kid' present behind him was Teal'c. The others weren't there.

At the look on his commander's face, Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "You should not worry, O'Neill. More than likely, Major Carter and Daniel Jackson were simply later than we were in going through the Stargate."

Realizing that the larger man was probably right, Jack nodded. "Right, just a little slower. We just have to wait." But something annoying at the back of his mind was telling him that maybe that 'wasn't' correct. He'd heard about the off-world activation last night. Maybe something was wrong…But no, just wait, he told himself. They'll be through in a minute. After all, the gate was still active, which meant passengers were still in transit, right?

A couple of minutes later, the Gate shut off.

"Uh…" Jack started. "Hey T…You got an explanation for that one?"

The eyebrow went up again, but this time seemed more urgent, if an eyebrow could look urgent. But of course, O'Neill had become accustomed to Teal'c's expressions, and this one was definitely more worried.

"I do not," he said, which didn't make Jack feel any better.

"Okay…Well, maybe something went wrong and they had to shut it down before they could go through. That's probably it. They'll dial again and send them through in a few minutes. Let's just…wait here for now," the colonel said uncertainly.

Nodding, Teal'c sat down on the stone steps before the Stargate, sure to stay out of the path an opening wormhole would cover, vaporizing anything it its path. Jack sat down next to him, and they waited.

* * *

The first thing Daniel noticed when he and Sam exited the Stargate was that there were no trees, and everything was the wrong color-not green, but gold. 

"Uh…this doesn't look a heck of a lot like P5R-316, does it?" he said in confusion.

Sam shook her head, just as baffled. "No, it doesn't? And where are Teal'c and the colonel?" she said, raising her weapon in caution.

When she said that, Jackson looked around and realized that she was right. Their teammates were nowhere to be found, and neither was the M.A.L.P or the rolling, mechanized cart that had carried all of their extra supplies, which had gone through first, before Jack and Teal'c.

What Daniel noticed next forced him to suppress a gasp. The walls were gold, the writing that covered them was familiar, there was a set of rings at the other end, and many boxes and crates with familiar-looking designs.

"Uh, Sam…I don't know where they are, but I can give you a good guess, because I think we're in a Goa'uld facility." He couldn't have expected the answer he got.

"Your first guess is wrong, Doctor Jackson. Your friends are not here. It seems they managed to arrive at their destination safely. However, your second guess was correct. This base is, in fact, Goa'uld."

Carter whipped her head around in the direction the voice had come from. Daniel started as well, also turning immediately to seek the source. The voice had been clearly Goa'uld, but there was also something familiar about it…

What they saw was a contingent of jaffa entering the room from a large door to the side. They surrounded the one who had spoken.

The moment he saw the beautifully dressed woman in the center, Daniel Jackson's breath caught in his throat, and suddenly he felt suffocated, almost as he had in his dream the night before.

There was so much he should have said, wanted to say…but in the end Daniel was only able to force out one breathless word.

"Sha're."


	4. Problem

Chapter 4

Samantha Carter looked back and forth between them, not sure of what to do. Daniel simply stood frozen.

The corner of Sha're's mouth curled upward in a half smile. "No, I'm afraid not," said the deep, duel voice of the Goa'uld inside her. Daniel realized then that it was not his wife. Amaunet was in control, she was speaking. The hopes that had risen when he first saw her came crashing down, but didn't disappear entirely. Sha're was still in there…somewhere…

Jackson gulped hard. "What do you want? What's going on?"

What happened next happened quickly. Amaunet did not answer, but partly turned to one of the jaffa, giving a silent command. The serpent guard raised his staff weapon, and instinctively Daniel jumped in front of Carter, pulling out his zat and preparing to shoot the man with a stun beam, but he didn't get a chance too before the staff blast took him in the midsection. The young scientist shouted in pain and surprise and collapsed.

"Daniel!" Carter cried, catching under the arms before he could hit the floor. Gently she lowered him the rest of the way to the ground, wincing involuntarily at the bleeding wound in his stomach. Daniel groaned in pain as she set him down. Major Carter momentarily re-directed her attention from her injured friend to the Goa'uld in front of her.

"What was that!" she said angrily.

"_That_ was not meant for him," Amaunet said, equally perturbed. "Jaffa!"

Carter's eyes widened when she realized what the alien meant. But she had no time to move before another staff blast cut her down, pushing her backwards.

"No!" Daniel shouted, trying to pull himself into a sitting position. He failed as the searing pin from the wound pushed him down again. Carter crashed to the ground two or three feet back from him, her chest smoking. It was obvious the she was hurt much worse than he was. But she couldn't be…

"Sam!" he cried. No answer. "SAM!" A terrible fear suddenly gripped Daniel, and he all but forgot about his overcome wife and the contingent of jaffa that stood only feet away. Gasping in pain, he pulled himself to her side.

"Sam? Sam, can you hear me? Come on, Sam!" he called desperately. The wound looked horrible, and she lay unmoving, her eyes closed. He held a hand over her mouth, but felt no breath coming from it. He checked her pulse on both her wrist and neck, but found nothing.

Daniel's throat constricted. _No…_he thought. _She can't be…_

He pushed away from her, but was too weak to do anything but roll onto his back and stare up, still gasping, but now the gasps sounded almost like sobs, and tears stung his eyes as his breath became shorter. He felt unconsciousness closing in on him. _Sam…_

Daniel's last thoughts before the darkness swallowed him were his desperate attempts to understand why Sha're would have someone killed, and the last thing he saw was her very unhappy-looking face staring down at him.

* * *

Daniel Jackson's eyes snapped open. He sat up quickly, looking around. He suppressed a groan when he realized he was in a sarcophagus. _I really don't like these things, but then again, I'd probably be dead if they hadn't used it._

Expanding the area he scanned with his eyes, he searched the immediate area. He sucked in a breath when he saw was who was standing just a few feet from the sarcophagus, waiting.

"Sha're?" he asked hesitantly.

The smirk she gave him dashed his hopes again. "I am Amaunet, Queen of Apophis, and you are nothing but a human."

Daniel's eyes narrowed at the mention of Apophis. "But he's dead," the archeologist informed her. And he was glad of it, too.

Her smile changed. Now it seemed to be saying _I know something you don't know._ But all she said was. "It does not matter. What matters is that you are here." Daniel was still suspicious of her, but he ventured another look around as he climbed warily out of the sarcophagus to stand in front of her.

"Where is here?" he asked. He had to force himself not to run to her, take hold of her, force Sha're to fight the alien being inside of her, take control back. But he knew that, right now, Amaunet was in control. There was nothing he could do.

She replied to his question. "I had to have you brought to my ship in orbit, where the sarcophagus is kept, in order to revive you. You will be brought back to the surface shortly."

Daniel eyebrows went up, surprised she had actually given him a good answer. She noticed the reaction, and knew what he was thinking.

"Dead men tell no tales, Doctor Jackson," she said simply.

Daniel gulped. "Uh…last time I checked I was alive."

"Not for long."

"Then why did you revive me?"

That Goa'uld smirk that Daniel hated appeared on her face again. "I never wanted you death to be that merciful."

Daniel pulled in a quick breath. "And…what's that supposed to mean?" he asked shakily.

"I brought you here to kill you, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel suddenly felt as if he'd stopped breathing, hearing those words come from his wife's mouth. He had to remind himself that it wasn't her. Sha're didn't want him dead. Amaunet did. But why? She answered his silent question a moment later.

"Your very existence is a nuisance to me. My host wants freedom-all of them do-but mine causes me much more difficulty than is normal. And it's all because of you-most specifically because of our recent encounter. She struggles. Of course she fails, but it's uncomfortable for me. I intend to show my host that the reason she wants the most to escape, the man she wants to return too, is a mere nothing."

_Sha're? She's talking about Sha're! She's fighting. I knew she would. Maybe Amaunet's trying to hide it, but she's winning. I know she is. Why else would she bring me here, do something this drastic? I knew Sha're wouldn't give up. I knew she was strong… _

His thoughts were cut off as Amaunet edged closer to him, and Daniel felt his breath quickening at her words. "Your death will be as slow and painful as I can manage. You'll_ wish_ I had let you die back in the gate room. And who knows? I might even do it more than once. We have a sarcophagus, after all…"

Her voice trailed off, and she moved away. Daniel felt a chill run up his spine, and he shivered, gulping again. Trying to calm himself, he glanced around again.

That was when he spotted what lay on the floor on the other side of the room. It was Samantha Carter's body, dropped carelessly on the ground like so much garbage.

"Sam!" he said. He tried to move in that direction, but two serpent guards stepped up to him and took hold of his rams, holding him in place. "Let me go!" he cried, struggling.

But then Amaunet was in front of him again, much closer this time-- close enough to use her hand device. There was a flash of orange light, blinding because it was so near his eyes, and then a beam of energy from the ribbon device had captured him.

Daniel gasped. He tried to keep his feet, but sudden pain from the energy flooded his body, causing him to cry out, and then suddenly he began to feel exhausted. He drooped, and the blackness began to close in again.

The only thing he heard before it engulfed him for the second time that day was Amaunet's voice, something about 'taking him to a holding cell in the complex'…

* * *

About half an hour after coming through the gate, Carter and Jackson still weren't there, and O'Neill began to get worried. Okay, so he was already worried, but now he was significantly _more_ worried. He stood and looked to his companion.

"Come on, Teal'c, we're going back. I'm getting tired of this."

The eyebrow went up. "Are you certain we should not wait longer, O'Neill?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Dial it up. I've got the GDO."

Teal'c nodded and stood as well, moving to the DHD to open a wormhole to earth. In the correct order he pushed the seven symbols of the Stargate address for Jack's home planet, and then pressed the large red dome in the center of the round, tilted control panel they called the Dial Home Device. Jack sent the iris code through, and within minutes they were back at the SGC. Everyone there, to their surprise, seemed shocked to seem them.

General Hammond approached them as they stepped off the metal ramp.

"Colonel, why are you back so soon? What happened to Doctor Jackson and Major Carter?" he asked pointedly.

O'Neill frowned. "They're not here, sir?"

"Here?" the general asked in confusion. "Why would they be here? They left through the gate with you and Teal'c."

"But…General, they never showed up on the other side. Are you sure they went through?" Jack said. He could feel himself starting to panic, and he didn't like it.

"Jack, we all saw them go," Hammond replied. Now there was worry on the older man's face as well.

Jack looked around. Surely if carter or Daniel were here, they would have been in the gate room by now, but sure enough, neither of them were to be found. He groaned.

"This could be a problem…"

* * *

Please nobody panic about Sam! I don't do deathfic. I hate deathfic. I like happy endings, or endings that turn out as well as they can under the circumstances. I don't do alternate stuff. I like to keep continuity. (As long as you forget the Apophis fumble) :) Anyway, so please don't panic, or kill me, just keep reading it'll be okay, I promise, lol. Please review! I need feedback to keep going:) :) :)


	5. Trouble

Come on, people, 'someone' else has to be reading this. Please review! And if you've already reviewed, please continue to do so and thanks a lot! Anyway, enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter 5

In the seconds before the staff blast had hit her, Samantha Carter had known she would be killed. What she hadn't known was that it wouldn't be the end of her. Only moments after Daniel had been taken from the room, she opened her eyes, and glanced around to find herself in the same sarcophagus.

Sam sat up quickly, and looked for anyone familiar. But Amaunet had gone, Daniel was nowhere in sight--only a few jaffa and serpent guards with their helmets up were in the room. _Why am I alive?_ She wondered.

Two of the un-helmeted jaffa pulled her from the sarcophagus. When she was on her feet, she pulled away from them. They allowed her to remain free, but herded her toward the nearest door. She went with them, knowing by now that it was useless to ask questions, because she wouldn't get any answers. She also hoped that, if Daniel was still alive, she would be led to him.

The two guards took Carter to a set of rings, and used them. Then she was led through a series of corridors that all looked the same. They were similar to what she would expect to find on a Goa'uld ship, but different enough to keep her confused. Finally her patience and hopes were rewarded when they took her to a holding cell.

The door opened, and the first thing Sam noticed as they pushed her in was Daniel's unconscious form lying on one of the familiar, wide benches sticking out from one of the walls of the all-too-familiar holding room. As the door shut behind her she went to his side, bent down beside the bench, and attempted to rouse him.

"Daniel? Can you hear me?" When he didn't answer she began to shake him gently. "Come on, Daniel, wake up. It's me." After a moment her efforts were rewarded when her friend groaned, and his eyes slowly opened. When Daniel saw her, they quickly widened.

"Sam!" he said, sitting up.

"In the flesh," she said, smiling as she stood to sit beside him.

Daniel leaned to hug her. "Thank goodness you're alive. I-I thought…"

She grimaced to herself as she returned the embrace, remembering what he was referring to. "Yeah, I know. I was."

Daniel released her and sat back, looking at her, relief still evident on his face. "But…I don't understand. Amaunet told me she had you killed because she didn't need you. She wanted me. Why did she revive you?"

Carter shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't seen her. She wasn't there when I woke up, and no one else has volunteered any information," she said, inclining her head in the direction of the jaffa outside the door.

"Yeah…but what they will or won't tell us is the least of my worries right now."

Sam turned back to him when she heard the emotion in his voice. He wasn't looking at her anymore; he was staring down at his hands.

She gulped. "Daniel, I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you…"

Daniel shrugged. His effort to keep his emotions in check now that he actually had time to think about what was happening was outwardly obvious. Then, to her surprise, what appeared to be a half smile curled his mouth upward.

"Daniel? What is it?"

Finally he looked up at her again. "I was just thinking. Maybe the fact that you're still alive proves that that monster isn't completely in control of her. I mean, remember what happened just before she left Abydos with Apophis a few months ago? She looked straight at us but didn't give us away."

"Wrong again, Doctor Jackson."

The scientist's head snapped up at the sound of her voice, and Carter spun, both of them standing. The door to the cell was opening; Amaunet stood on the other side, several serpent guards behind her. When the opening was clear, she took a few steps into the room.

Daniel moved in front of her. "Why did you revive Sam? I'm not complaining, but…you said you killed her because she was useless to you. Why did you change your mind? What's going on?"

"My jaffa already had orders to kill anyone else that came through the gate besides you, because we only needed you. But…" She frowned, and it was the first time either SG-1 member had heard a Goa'uld pause in uncertainty. "After more careful consideration it was decided that Samantha Carter was more valuable alive."

Daniel's smile returned, but this time it was to mock the creature that controlled his wife's body. "You made a mistake."

He didn't see the hand coming before the back of it slapped the left side of his face so hard he stumbled backwards and fell to the floor, crying out.

"Hey!" Carter yelped, moving to Daniel's side. She tried to help him up, but he waved her off and stood on his own. The entire left side of his head throbbed, and he glared at the woman in front of him. She glared right back, her stare even more fierce than his own.

One of the jaffa behind her, obviously the highest ranking, stepped forward to bark at the human. "Don't speak to the queen in such a way. Our lady Amaunet is a goddess; she cannot make mistakes. Speak of such blasphemy again and I will kill you where you stand."

Daniel spoke through clenched teeth, and Sam watched on, fearing for his life as she looked back and forth between them. "She's not a god," he said, never taking his eyes from his wife. "Amaunet is a parasite that has taken control of a human body-_my wife's _human body. She's just as prone to make mistakes as any of us. She just admitted to one!" His frown deepened. "And the biggest mistake she ever made was choosing that body."

The jaffa brought his staff weapon up angrily, perfectly willing to blast this insolent human into oblivion, and Daniel stared him down. But Carter could see the tears that gathered in his eyes.

"Kree Jaffa!" Amaunet said before he could do anything with it, calling him off. At another silent nod from his queen, he opened his zat'ni'katel instead, and promptly fired.

Daniel shouted in pain when the electric-like beam from the zat hit him, sending pain through every last nerve in his body. He collapsed again, shivering. Carter knelt beside him as he gasped, struggling to regain control of his trembling body. Finally, after what seemed an eternity but was really only a few seconds, the pain faded to a dull, residual ache, and he could move again. But by the time he got to his knees and looked up, he and Carter were alone in the cell again.

"Daniel, are you alright?" Sam asked in concern.

He nodded, now rubbing his still stinging cheek. "Physically, anyway-I think. I can't say the same emotionally…" He trailed off, sighing heavily and blinking back tears. It seemed that the resolve he had shown toward Amaunet only a moment before had left with her. She didn't blame him.

Carter rubbed his back comfortingly. "Hey, at least we know where she is. Now all we have to do is get out of here and make sure we bring her with us, right?"

"Yeah, right." Daniel winced, and she could see that a good-sized bruise was forming on the side of his face. "Note to self-it _really_ hurts to get hit when they have a ribbon device on their hand. Not to mention the fact that Goa'ulds are strong anyway…owww." She could tell that the humorous comment's only purpose had been to keep himself from crying.

Sighing again, he stood, moved to the bench in the corner of the room, and sat down again. Sam followed.

"Now what?" he asked, too distraught to really consider it himself.

"Well…I could try to hot-wire the door, but that hasn't worked so great in the past. We're just not familiar enough with Goa'uld technology." Carter offered.

"Yeah, I know," Daniel said. He leaned back against the wall, hiding his red-rimmed eyes in the shadow at the edge of the room "I'm sorry, I'm just not going to be much help right now. I need…time…I just-I can't…"

Sam put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I know. It's all right. Why don't you just…tell me what happened before they brought me in here. Did I miss anything? Do you know why Amaunet wants you here?"

Daniel gulped. "Yeah. She wants me dead."

"What? But then why…"

"She didn't want it to be that quick."

Carter's eyes widened. She'd known that seeing Sha're under the control of Amaunet again must have been hard for him, but now she understood why he looked so shaken.

"Oh, Daniel, I had no idea…"

"It's okay Sam. There's nothing you can do about it," Daniel said quietly.

Carter looked at him for another moment or so, concern still on her face, but then she sighed and sat back against the wall herself, hoping that some kind of idea would come to her.


	6. Uh Oh

Yes, I know this chapter is short, sorry. It's a kind of transition. And yes, I know I changed the story description/summary, or whatever. That's because I had major plot changes in my head ofr the second half of the story. No need to worry about why there isn't a future, season nine Daniel in the story yet. He'ss come into play a couple chapters from now or so. But I won't say anything else...Just gotta read and review to keep me going. 

Chapter 6

"Are you sure you're _absolutely _sure, general?"

General George Hammond sighed. "Yes, Jack, I'm as sure as I could possibly be. I've checked numerous times. _Nothing_ has been reported coming through the second gate. I'm sorry, colonel, but we'll just have to look elsewhere."

O'Neill sighed. "Yeah, but where is _elsewhere_?"

"They could be on any world between Earth and P5R-316, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "You should remember that this has happened before."

"I try not to," Jack grumbled. "But that was simple-sort of. We were on earth. We have no idea where Carter and Daniel are."

"Indeed, O'Neill, but we must attempt to find them."

"I'm not arguing with _that_, Teal'c. Of curse we have to find them. But I just don't get it. Not that I get what happened last time, but, doesn't there have to be some kind of energy surge thingy for this to happen? I didn't notice anything weird during gate travel, so why did it 'skip', or whatever? Assuming that really what happened."

"We have to assume that's what happened, colonel, no matter how unlikely it seems. Because unless I see proof of the alternative, I'm not going to accept it," Hammond said resolutely. "Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter are out there somewhere, and we're going to do all we can to find them."

O'Neill stood, and Teal'c followed suit.

"Permission to join the off-world search teams, general?" Jack said. "I'm going to find my people."

"Permission granted, colonel."

* * *

Only hours after they had been left alone, the door to the Goa'uld holding cell opened again, and two jaffa entered. The two ever-present guards still stood outside. Carter was the first to rise to her feet, and Daniel followed, slowly.

"What do you want now?" she said.

None of the aliens said anything, but the two who had come in moved immediately in Daniel's direction. One of them grabbed his shoulder and shoved him toward the entrance, shouting "Kree!" in his ear. The young scientist winced and did as he was obviously being told.

"What are you doing?" Carter demanded.

"It's okay, Sam," Daniel said, following the jaffa out of the cell.

"No, it's not. I heard what you said…" she protested.

"Sam, try to stop them and they'll hurt you. So just don't, okay?"

"But-" she began, but she could get no further, as at that moment the door slid shut in her face, and the serpent guards herded Daniel around the corner, out of her sight. She sighed in frustration. And sat down again, hard.

* * *

Daniel Jackson gulped as he was led down the corridor of the Goa'uld facility. He was almost certain he knew what came next, and even more certain that he wouldn't like it if he was correct. True to his fears, a moments later he was pushed into another room, larger than the one he had been confined in the past few hours. Amaunet and two more jaffa awaited him and the two that had come with him.

Daniel heard the door close behind them. Then, before he could catch his breath at the site of his wife staring at him coldly, he felt the familiar, though unwelcome sensation of the but of a staff weapon being rammed into the back of his legs, forcing his knees to give out. He grunted and fell, crying out when his knees slammed painfully onto the cold, hard floor.

Still wincing, Daniel looked up at her, hoping to be able to say something to her, but he didn't get the chance, before once again the hand device was focused on his forehead. But this time she was not trying to render him unconscious, and the ribbon of energy from the device sent paralyzing waves of pain through his body. For several minutes he struggled with it, gasping.

"No…" he choked, tears forming in his eyes again. It couldn't end now. It was too soon. He had just found her again. He couldn't die yet…

Amaunet smiled. "No need to worry, Dr. Jackson. I won't kill you now. Not this time. No, this is going to last a long, long time."


	7. Torture

Long chapter! Thanks to all of you who have reviewed since the beginning of the story, to you new reviewers too, Orion9 and Jennie! Please read, enjoy, and continue to review every chapter to keep me going! I appreciate all of you!

Chapter 7

Daniel gasped when the ribbon device finally shut off, and the hand that it adorned withdrew. Unable to shake off the pain and disorientation quickly, he swayed, moaning, and fell to the floor, struggling to catch his breath.

Amaunet stepped back, out of his way. "Jaffa, Kree! Get him up!" Seconds later two rough pairs of hands clamped around Daniel's arms. The two jaffa hauled him to his feet, and then their queen nodded towards the wall. The young scientist didn't know what she meant until the men dragged him to it and closed chains around his wrists, binding him to the fall, facing away from it on his knees.

Daniel's foggy mind fought to understand what was happening as his mind slowly returned to normal after the painful, paralyzing effects of the Goa'uld technology. He didn't know how long he had been under the hand device. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. All he had been aware of was the pain, and Sha're's face above him…until finally it had stopped. But now what did she plan to do?

After another moment or so, he felt almost normal again, except for being completely exhausted. He looked around, pulling futilely on the chains. Amaunet, standing only a few feet away, stared condescendingly at him.

"You can't get out of them."

Daniel looked at her, tears forming in his eyes again. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly, not only too tired to speak any louder, but not trusting himself too.

"I have already explained that to you. You're a nuisance. You must be eliminated." The corner of her mouth turned upwards. "But no one said I couldn't enjoy it."

Daniel gulped. "Sha're, please, fight it-ah!" He got no farther than that, crying out when the nearest jaffa stuck him-hard.

"Do NOT address the queen in such a manner!" the guard said angrily. "She is not her host; nothing of the host survives."

Obviously this one hadn't been in the room when Amaunet had explained exactly _why _she wanted him dead. Daniel glared at the jaffa through a wince of pain. "That's what they want you to think."

The archaeologist grunted loudly as another sharp blow to the same side of his face sent pain exploding through his head. The third and fourth blows only worsened it, and he shouted both times. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the man pulling back for yet another strike, and he grimaced, ducking, but Amaunet stopped him.

"Enough!" she said, drawing him off with her words. The man backed off, and Daniel slumped against the wall, gasping, following the jaffa with his eyes. He seemed to derive pleasure from seeing his victim spitting blood, and that didn't surprise Daniel in the slightest.

"There is no need for that," Amaunet said. "Now we can continue." When her attention turned towards the door, Daniel followed her gaze, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw what she was smiling at now.

Daniel hadn't realized that one of the jaffa in the room had left until now, because he was returning with something in his hand. It was one of the Goa'uld energy torture sticks they had seen in the alternate universe. At least that's where he remembered them from most-he was sure they had encountered them elsewhere, but couldn't think of where at the moment. It didn't matter because none of them had actually been subjected to one before, and he had hoped he never would be. But suddenly it appeared as if that was one wish that wouldn't come true, and when Daniel realized it, his stomach tightened, a chill ran up his spine, and his breath unstuck and quickened all at the same time.

Amaunet looked back to him as the guard holding the torture device moved in his direction and handed it to the same jaffa who had tried to beat him up only a moment ago. _Oh, great, just add insult to injury why don't you, _Daniel thought bitterly. He gulped as the man who apparently didn't like him dangled the piece of Goa'uld technology in front of him.

Daniel's mouth gaped open and closed several times before he could say anything. "Uh…" he began shakily, then stopped, gulped, and cleared his throat loudly. "You…you don't have to do that…" he said clumsily.

His eyes flicked toward where his wife stood. But of course it wasn't Sha're. She wouldn't let them hurt him. But she couldn't do anything. He was on his own, and Amaunet, standing with her arms crossed and a half-smile, seemed to be enjoying this, watching Daniel stumble over himself trying in vain in to talk himself out of what was about to happen. His eyes pleaded with her to fight, but he didn't say anything to her, knowing that at this point trying to get to Sha're would only make things worse for him. It had already happened once.

With great effort, Daniel calmed his breathing, and spoke to Amaunet. "You're not…really…" he said hopefully, shaking his head slightly and trying to conjure an amused smile. He only halfway succeeded, but then the Goa'uld cut him off, smashing his attempt at hope or humor.

"-And why not? These devices leave no permanent damage," she said motioning to it, " and yet they cause the victim a great deal of pain. I have no reason to refrain from having it used on you. Aside from the hand device, it is one of most successful smaller inventions of Goa'uld technology."

She was baiting him, trying scare him, and Daniel knew it, but that didn't keep it from working. Jack probably could have come back with some snarky reply in a heartbeat, but he wasn't Jack O'Neill, and neither was he military trained like O'Neill and Carter were.

The smile on Amaunet's face then disappeared, and she backed away a bit more, barking an order to the man in front of Daniel. "Enough games. Begin."

Daniel pulled against the chains again, now with a little more strength because it had been a few minutes more since he had come out from under the ribbon device. "Wait-!"

But he was interrupted again when the jaffa holding the torture stick flicked it on. He heard the energy spike of the power-up, and turned his head just in time to see the active point of the device touch the end of the chain that bound his right hand. From there, the energy traveled almost instantaneously through the chains and into his body through his wrists, and Daniel screamed in agony.

* * *

"Jackson!" 

Daniel snapped out of his nightmarish daydream of the past when his name was called-loudly, and right in his ear.

He jumped, nearly knocking the plate and sandwich that sat on the commissary table in front of him to the floor. Samantha Carter reached across the table and caught it before it could fall.

"Thanks," he said, and she nodded, giving a knowing him a knowing smile. Then Daniel directed his attention to the man sitting beside him, the one who had shouted his name. "What was that for?" he asked in annoyance, lightly rubbing his offended ear.

Cameron Mitchell shrugged. "Jackson, you've been spaced since we left the briefing room this morning. General Landry tells us we're going to some old abandoned Goa'uld base you guys have been to before because now we have intelligence that suggests the snakeheads might have left behind some nifty experimental time/space device thingy, and all of a sudden Carter gets tense and you start acting like you've been punched in the gut. Now come on, Daniel, what's up?"

Teal'c raised that eyebrow as he, Sam, and Daniel glanced at each other uncomfortably. Finally Carter winced and broke the silence.

"Cameron…"

"No, Sam, it's okay," Daniel interrupted. He could see she was going the way of _Cameron, lay off. If he doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't want to talk about it. _And he didn't think that was fair. Mitchell was the new member of SG-1, its new commander of sorts, and he deserved to know what was bothering him just like Sam and Teal'c knew. Besides, it wasn't as if it was a secret. Carter gave him a look that asked if he was really comfortable talking about it, and he returned one that assured her he would be fine.

Daniel sighed, and Mitchell gave him his full attention. "Cameron, it's just…what happened there the first time. I mean, if you've seen one Goa'uld facility you've seen them all, but this one Sam and I kind of…stumbled across. We were brought there against our will, by some sort of virus that was sent into Stargate Command's computer. We were on our way to P5R-316, but ended up there…and it was Amaunet who had ordered it."

Cameron sat up. "Amaunet? But wasn't her host…?"

Daniel nodded. "My wife, yes."

"Yikes. So…what happened?"

"Uh…" Daniel grimaced. "Well, let's just say it didn't go so well."

"But why would she want you and Carter?" Mitchell said curiously.

"She only wanted me, actually."

When Daniel didn't reply to the other man's still inquiring gaze, Carter filled in a bit. "She wanted him dead."

"Ouch."

"Yeah…" Sam trailed. Then she abruptly stood. "You know, we should probably be checking our supplies and stuff for tomorrow."

Teal'c nodded and joined her. "I agree."

Daniel with them. "Good idea."

Cameron stood as well. "Okay, good. You guys do that. I have other things to get done before we leave. Later." With that, Mitchell turned and left, picking up the styrofoam plate that held the scattered remains of his lunch and dumping it in a trash can on the way out. The rest of SG-1 left through the door on the other side of the room.

"Nice save back, there, Sam," Daniel confided to his blonde teammate.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed, a small smile appearing.

Carter shrugged and smiled. "What are friends for. I saw that you'd gone as far as you were willing to go on the subject for the moment. I just had to find a truthful way to get him off your back without offending Cameron-or you."

Daniel smiled. "I appreciate it." Then he stopped, bringing all three to a halt. "Wait…you said _truthful_. Does that mean we really have to check the supplies?"

"It has to be done. Might as well be sooner rather than later."

"Darn it."


	8. Wrong Planet

Come on, people, I've seen the hits for this story I know more of you are readig this. Please review! Reviews really help to keep me motivated. Even if it'ssimple. This is good, please keep soging", or "This is okay.." Whatever. I don't care. Just please review if you read this. And thanks to those who have been reviewing! Enjoy the chapter! I'll have the next one up ASAP, in a few days, I promise.

Chapter 8

Colonel Jack O'Neill and his team stepped through the Stargate to P7X-324, a nearby yet unexplored world in the infamous gate system. This team consisted only of himself, Teal'c, and Dr. Janet Fraiser, who had opted to join them rather than sitting around Stargate Command waiting for her missing friends to be found. General Hammond had gladly given his permission.

Almost immediately O'Neill noticed a strange stench, and took a few steps forward, wrinkling his nose. A second later, when he glanced downward, he jumped back several feet as the gate closed behind them.

"Whoa!" he said, looking at what lay beyond the large stone platform the gate stood on. "The M.A.L.P. didn't show _that_. Yikes!"

"I believe that is an extremely valid statement, O'Neill," Teal'c offered.

"You can say that again," Fraiser added.

Once the stone ended, the ground was nothing but gray, extremely mushy-looking, deep, bubbling, _mud._ There were plenty of healthy-looking strange trees sticking up from it, which, at first glance, had made this planet seem not too much out of the ordinary, but he would definitely have to mention to the technicians back home that they should really think about giving the surveillance cameras more maneuverability. For example, it would be really helpful, in this case anyway, if they could look _down. _

"Okay, somebody _please _tell me that they're not here, because I'd _really _like to save us all the unpleasantness of having to slog through any of that," Jack said.

Janet nodded. "As a doctor, I think I can safely say that, colonel. I don't think they could survive here for very long, and if they could, they wouldn't have gotten very far from the gate by now. We'd be able to see them if they were here."

Teal'c nodded. "And if, for some reason, they were here, yet unable to dial earth, they would have had no reason to venture out into this. Doctor Fraiser is correct."

The colonel sighed. "Yep. I think so too. All, right, let's dial home and get back. No use wasting more time here." O'Neill glanced over at Fraiser, who he knew didn't get off-world much. "Doctor, if you would like to do the honors?"

Janet smiled and stepped up to the DHD. "Thank you, colonel, I'd be happy to."

* * *

Samantha Carter had begun to worry when Daniel had been gone for over an hour, but now it had been more than two, and part of her mind feared the worst. But surely Amaunet wouldn't have killed him already?

Carter jumped when the door opened and three figures entered. She sighed in relief when she saw that the one in the middle was Daniel, but at the same time her stomach tightened in concern for him when she realized that the two jaffa on either side of him were practically dragging the younger man. They dumped the weakened human on the floor and left, the door slamming down behind them. As soon as they were gone, the major jumped up and ran to him and knelt down beside her gasping friend.

"Daniel?" she said, rolling him from his side to his back. "Are you all right?"

Daniel groaned and opened his closed eyes, speaking between gasped intakes of breath. "No…not okay…but I'll…live. Uhhhhh…." He moaned.

Carter winced and slipped an arm under his back, helping him to slowly sit up. Once in a sitting position beside her, Daniel's head dropped to her shoulder and rested there, and his chest still heaved with heavy breaths. She kept her arm around his shoulders both for comfort and to keep him in a stable position. After another few minutes his breathing slowed somewhat, and she ventured to speak to him again.

"Daniel, what happened?" she asked quietly. "What did they do to you?"

"Oh, they just used the hand device, and one of those Goa'uld torture sticks--you know, the usual," Daniel said, gulping as he lifted his head from her shoulder and attempted to hold it up himself.

"She had you _tortured_?" Carter said with concern.

Daniel nodded weakly, and then suddenly his head seemed too heavy again and he let it drop into his hands. Sam rubbed him back gently, wishing there were more she could do. She knew it must have been horrible for him-to be tortured like that, and at his own wife's command. No, not Sha're-it was Amaunet, the being that controlled her body. But she also knew that didn't change the fact that it 'was' her body, her face looking at him…Carter shuddered, and sighed.

"It's all right, Daniel," she comforted him quietly. "You'll find a way to get through to her, and we'll get out of this."

"I just hope I can do it before it's too late," he answered.

Carter nodded, then stood and offered him her hand. Daniel looked up and took it, and Sam gently helped him up. On the way up he winced, assessing the damage. Thankfully there didn't seem to be too much of it. Both the hand device and the torture stick had simply left him exhausted and sore. The only real damage was from the blows to the face he'd taken, and the general rough handling. His knees still ached from hitting the floor so hard, and his wrists felt raw from the chains. Sam saw him rubbing them and frowned.

"What is it?" she asked with concern.

Daniel lowered himself onto the nearest bench, and held up one of his reddened, scraped, and slightly bleeding wrists. "What, this?" Carter placed her hands on her hips as if to say _Of course _that,_ Daniel, what else would I be talking about? _And she was right. He sighed. "That would be from the chains that kept me bound to the wall while they used the torture stick," he said, letting his arm drop again. He leaned back against the wall, and Carter sat beside him, worry still on her face. She sighed at his response.

"Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

"Nope, that…that's pretty much all that happened."

Sam looked at him, and somehow Daniel knew that she was staring straight at the fresh bruises on his face. He grimaced.

"Okay, okay, so one of the jaffa got a little angry at me. It wasn't that bad, Sam. Really. I'm all right. I promise."

Carter sighed yet again, and nodded. "Okay. Sorry. I'm just concerned, you know."

"I know," Daniel answered. Then he looked around, as if the answer to his next question were in the air. "How long was I gone? I…uh…couldn't really tell…"

The tone and almost imperceptible wince that accompanied the last statement made it easy to realize the implications of it, and Sam winced again as she glanced at her watch. "Um, about two hours…"

Daniel's eyebrows rose at that, and he looked down at his own watch, which he seemed to have just remembered was there. "Oh…Oh, well, I guess it was…Yikes."

"Do you think they'll come back?" Carter asked quietly.

Daniel's lips pursed into a fine, uncomfortable line. "My impression was that they would."

"Perfect. So what are we going to do?"

"Hope they wait at _least_ two hours before they do come back."

* * *

"Colonel, why are you back so soon? You and your team didn't leave any longer than ten minutes ago."

Jack nodded as he, Teal'c, and Janet stopped at the bottom of the Gate ramp. "I know, sir, but the doc says there's no way they could be on that planet, so there was no reason to waste any time."

General Hammond looked to doctor Frasier next. "Why wouldn't they be there, doctor?"

"It's all mud, sir, very unfriendly mud. I doubt they would be there. You could see for miles, and they certainly wouldn't have gotten any farther than that by now. I can't see why anyone would go out into that in the first place."

Hammond nodded. "All right. I can agree with that. De-brief in ten minutes." The General started to turn and walk away, but O'Neill stopped him.

"Uh, sir, actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to get going again immediately. There's not much more to the de-brief than what you've heard, and it can be done later. Just have Walter dial the next address on the list, please."

Hammond eyed his subordinate. "And what about protocol, _colonel_?" he said, putting some emphasis on the rank.

"With all due respect, general, most of it went out the window the moment two of my people went missing," Jack said, trying to keep as straight a face as possible.

But George Hammond broke into a smile and nodded. "I understand, colonel. Permission to re-embark immediately granted." With that, the general looked up towards the window to the control room, and nodded to Walter Harriman, who began to dial a new Gate address.

"Chevron one, encoded."

Jack nodded to Hammond. "Thank you sir."

"You're welcome, colonel. Now get going. Find _our_ people."


	9. Beating

Thanks for so many reviews of the last chapter! That was so helpful, please continue to review each chapter. It helps to keep me motivated, and I love hearing from my readers. You all leave such wonderfuly reviews. So without further ado, here is the next chapter, so please enjoy and review, and I'll have the next one up ASAP!

Chapter 9

Samantha Carter fought hard to resist the urge to continuously look across the room at Daniel, who was resting on the opposite bench, his jacket off and balled up under his head to create the illusion of a comfortable position. He seemed to be asleep, even though he moaned occasionally, but still...

She sighed, her brow creasing in worry. As Daniel had hoped, the Goa'uld had waited at least two hours before returning for him, but not much longer. They had taken him away again, and he had returned over an hour and a half later, even more exhausted and the worse for wear than the first time, though at least there hadn't been anymore new bruises.

Now, it had been almost tow hours since _then. _It was late afternoon, and Sam was silently praying that the jaffa wouldn't come for Daniel a third time-at least not today.

Carter suddenly felt her hopes waver when she heard footsteps in the corridor. Jumping up, she moved to site next to Daniel, and shook him gently. "Daniel, wake up."

"Huh, what?" he said groggily, lifting tired eyes to look at her.

Sam frowned, "Someone's coming."

Daniel ears perked up when he heard the sound, and he quickly sat up, carefully masked fear on his face. Sam rested a hand on his shoulder, hoping it would help some. But all of her hoped shattered yet again when the two jaffa came into view, and one of the already present guards opened the door.

"Great," Carter muttered, and she could almost hear Daniel's own inward groan. Her hand tightened on his arm as the two newcomers stepped into the cell. Daniel, however, brushed it off and stood slowly, knowing he would only be pulled to his feet anyway if he didn't. He tried to keep a passive expression-probably just as much for his sake as for hers, but she could see that already his face was at least a couple of shades paler.

"Daniel…"

"Sam, don't try anything. I don't want anything to happen to you," he said quietly.

"Daniel, for crying out loud they've already taken you twice today-"

As the jaffa grabbed him and began to push him toward the door, Daniel shot her a withering look that quieted her. Sam growled low in her throat when they had led him away. She knew he was only concerned for her, but she wished he wouldn't go with them so quietly, when he knew what awaited him. Even if it got both of them zatted or something, it would be worth it if they would just leave him alone…Sighing, she sank to the bench again.

* * *

Daniel released a final cry as the jaffa guard pulled the torture stick away, leaving him to collapse back against the wall, gasping desperately for air. But his world hadn't even begun to assert itself again when, through the blur of lingering pain, he saw Amaunet raise her ribbon device. His breath quickened even more instead of slowing down, which at the moment was dangerous.

"No, Sha're, please…" he pleaded to his wife, hoping to reach her. Just maybe…Daniel's hopes rose when she frowned and pulled her hand back, but plummeted again at her words.

"You were warned not to call me that again," Amaunet said coldly.

"What…" But she didn't say anything else, only cast a glance toward the jaffa nearest him-the same one who had just finished torturing him, and the one who had tried to beat him up earlier.

Before Daniel knew what was happening, the man was on him, fists coming down hard., and soon the other jaffa in the room joined him, one or two using fists, another kicking him. Their victim was chained to the wall, unable to block any of it, and shouting helplessly in pain.

Amaunet did nothing as Daniel was beaten, standing away across the room, watching. The young archaeologist pulled against his chains despite the extra pain it caused his wrists; he cried futilely to her when he could, but it made no difference. After several minutes, a final, well-placed blow caught his jaw, knocking him into oblivion, and it didn't matter anymore.

* * *

Outside, on this world that was _not_ P5R-316, the sky had become dark. The few sensors it had shut down for the night, or switched to passive mode, only making light general sweeps of a small area around the small compound. Most of the jaffa serpent guards retired, leaving only a few to play sentry through the night. After all, this was a small, insignificant, back-water planet. It was worthy to house a Goa'uld facility only because of its secrecy. If no now knew it existed, they didn't need to waste resources on large security systems--or so they believed.

The sensors no longer scanning space did not detect the single, incoming enemy mother ship taking orbit around the planet, and no one saw the troops being deployed, hiding away from the base in the forest and elsewhere, waiting until morning, waiting for their chance to strike…

* * *

Sam Carter shot to her feet when the two serpent guards dropped the unconscious Daniel Jackson on the floor and left. She hurried to him, and stifled a gasp when she saw how much worse he looked than either of the times before. His wrists were rubbed raw and bloody; his face was covered in fresh bruises and had several cuts and abrasions, and without his jacket, on his exposed arms she could see more bruises.

Gulping, Sam slipped a hand under his shoulders, starting to lift him from the floor, hoping to move him to the bench and that it would be more comfortable than the floor when he woke up. She stopped, however, jumping in surprise, when suddenly Daniel came to, crying out in pain from the movement and grabbing her arm.

"No, Sam, wait-!" he gasped.

"Whoa!" Carter yelped, putting him down again and nearly dropping him, which only caused him to shout again. "Sorry! Daniel…sorry," she apologized, wincing in sympathy.

"No…it's okay…just…wait a minute…." Daniel said, grimacing and still trying to catch his breath.

"What is it?"

"I just…really don't feel like being moved just yet," he answered, his heavy breathing slowly starting to taper off.

"All right…what happened?" Carter asked.

Daniel sighed. "They got considerably more aggressive this time, that's what happened."

"In other words, she didn't stop them from beating you this time," Sam re-phrased, frowning.

Daniel flinched. "Uh…yeah. I got pummeled." Groaning, he rolled onto his side, obviously finding lying on his back uncomfortable. That set him short of breath again, and brought one arm around his stomach protectively. He moaned again, and Sam sighed, trying to move it away.

"Let me see?" Daniel nodded weakly, allowing her to gently push his arm aside and lift his shirt.

Carter had to stifle a gasp of worry at what she saw. Daniel's his entire middle was black and blue, even with minor bleeding in places, and when she rose up on her knees to glance over at his back, she saw it was almost as bad there. She would probably find bruises all over his legs, too, if she were to look, Sam thought sourly.

"Gosh, Daniel. They really did a number on you, didn't they?" she gulped, glancing at him. He nodded, grimacing. "Do you think anything's broken? Any cracked ribs?" Carter asked quietly, carefully feeling him over. Daniel cried out softly when she hit a particularly sore spot, and Sam winced herself. "Sorry."

He shook his head, but now he was gasping again. " 's okay. No, don't…think anything's broken…Cracked rib or two maybe. Ohhhhh…." Daniel moaned.

"Where?" Sam asked in concern. He indicated an area to one side that seemed particularly bruised, and gently she began to probe the area, to her friend's grunts of pain. "Sorry, but we need to know how bad it is. I'm being as careful as I can, I promise…" Suddenly Sam stopped when she found the damaged ribs and Daniel yelled loudly. She pulled her hands away quickly and gripped his shoulder with one of them.

"Oh! Sorry!" she apologized fervently. Then she sighed. "No wonder that hurt so much. It's cracked all right-lucky it didn't break. A couple more around it might have minor cracks, and it's pretty obvious a lot of them are badly bruised."

"Oh…guess that explains it," Daniel gulped, trying to catch his breath yet again.

"You all right? I didn't mean to hurt you."

Jackson nodded his head slowly. "You're fine. I'll be okay."

"Are you cold? Do you want your jacket? Glasses? You left them here too."

"I want to get off this floor; that's what I want," Daniel replied, attempting to keep the pain off his face as he pushed himself up on his elbows.

"Are you sure?" Carter frowned.

Daniel nodded. "I'm sure," he grunted, pushing himself up farther, trying to straighten his arms under himself. For a moment it seemed as if pain would win, collapsing his bruised, hurting arms and sending the young scientist crashing painfully back to the ground, but before he had a chance to find out if it would Sam moved next to him, allowing him to drape an arm around her shoulders. The major, in turn, wrapped an arm around Daniel.

Once in position, Sam glanced at Jackson. When he nodded that he was ready, she nodded in return and then began to stand slowly, carefully pulling her comrade up with her. Daniel cried out, but helped her with his own legs as much as he could. His grip on Carter's shoulders tightened, and her free hand came up to grip his, giving him something a bit easier to hold onto and pull up on.

Thankfully, once he was up Daniel found that, though it was still painful to stand, move, or much less walk, it wasn't nearly as bad as getting to his feet in the first place. Carter seemed to realize this as well, and seemed relieved for him, but was still as gentle as possible as she helped him to the bench he had rested on earlier. But as careful as she was, she couldn't keep him from hurting enough to groan as they went, and when she lowered him to his seat she saw the pain on his face and wished there were more she could do.

Daniel pulled in a slow, deep breath, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes for a moment as he caught his breath.

"Daniel…?" Carter asked. After another moment his eyes opened again and he nodded.

"I'm fine, Sam," he said hoarsely. Her lips pressing into a thin line, she offered him his glasses, but he shook his head, pushing them away. "No thanks. I think I'm just going to try and get some sleep."

Sam put the glasses down. "That's probably a good idea. It's late, and I know you could use it," she said quietly.

"Yeah…" Daniel trailed tiredly. Grimacing, he lowered himself to his side and rested his head on the balled-up green BDU jacket that still lay in the corner. Lying on his side seemed to be the only comfortable position be could find--or rather, the least painful position for the moment. Nothing was very comfortable in his present state, but the moment he was lying down, and his head hit his improvised pillow, his exhaustion caught up with him, and he felt himself drifting of.

Daniel felt Sam's hand on his shoulder again, this time in a purely sympathetic gesture, and looked up to see the comforting smile she offered him. He mustered the best he could find to give back to her before he allowed his eyes to drift shut. The beaten archaeologist fell asleep almost immediately, oblivious to the added danger outside the compound.


	10. Leave Her Alone

Here's the next chaoter. Sorry it took so long. My computer has been screwing up the past few days and wouldn't let me upload. Anyway, it's cooperating now, so enjoy this new chapter and please review!

Chapter 10

Daniel Jackson woke with a start, crying out in pain when someone suddenly shook him. "Sam! What are you-" he yelped, but stopped when he saw that it was not Samantha Carter, but a serpent guard who stood over him, another right behind him. "W-what do you want?" he gulped, still wincing. He got his answer when the two jaffa grabbed his arms and pulled him to his feet.

"Ah! OW! Okay, okay, I'm up!" he shouted, the rough movement sending waves of terrible pain through Daniel's bruised body. Without answering, the two men dragged him towards the door. A moment later, he heard Carter's groggy, but quickly awakening voice behind them.

"Hey! What are you doing! It's the middle of the night!-" Daniel didn't catch much of what she said after that, her voice drowned out by distance and his own grunts and groans of pain. The jaffa didn't seem to care what condition he was in-not that he had ever expected them to. In three years, Teal'c and Bra'tac were still the only two jaffa he had come to trust, and he knew they were different from most. As for what time it was; he managed to verify that by catching a glance of his watch. It was, in fact, the middle of the night, or extremely early in the morning, depending on one's point of view. What did they want with him at this hour?

Moments later, after taking the route Daniel had become accustomed to and learned to fear, they arrived at the same room he had been taken to before. Again Amaunet was waiting, and yet again they dropped him at her feet-though this time it didn't take any persuading to get him down, and it caused him considerably more pain. After catching his breath-not an easy task-the confused scientist looked up at her, his breath still a bit heavy.

"What…What's going on? It's the middle of the night…I don't…I don't understand…"

His voice trailed off as Amaunet smirked. "It doesn't matter, for us. We don't need the sleep that you weak humans require to function. Night, day, it is all the same to us, though granted, some things are more easily done in daylight when planet-side."

"Then why won't you let _us_ sleep?" Daniel asked heatedly. The Goa'uld's cockiness was getting to him easily, as tired as he was. "Any _sane_ person would be asleep right now…Ah!" He yelped when she struck him, ducking downward and nearly cracking his forehead on the floor.

"Silence!" Amaunet shouted, her eyes glowing briefly.

Daniel gulped as he sat up again, painfully, rubbing his cheek where she'd hit him with the hand that was covered with the hand device again. "What do you want from me?" he pleaded quietly.

"Before, nothing. I was merely flexing my muscles in what I was doing to you. But now, there are things I want from you," Amaunet answered honestly-surprising for a Goa'uld.

Jackson's eyes narrowed. "What kinds of things?"

She smiled. "You must know that our intelligence on the Tau'ri has been lacking, as of late. I intend to change that." She leaned closer, "And you are going to help me do that. I'll make it easy for you…The code for the devices you have which open that iris of yours on the Earth Stargate would be a good start."

Daniel frowned. "Nice try. I may not be military, but I have just as much responsibility to protect my planet as anyone else. I don't care if you're in my wife's body or not; you won't get anything from me."

Amaunet frowned in return and straightened. "Very well. You should know by now that we have other methods of persuasion…" she said, extending her hand above his face._ No, not that again…_was Daniel's desperate thought before the orange energy beam of the ribbon device activated, trapping him in its clutches. The archaeologist cried out.

The energy pierced his skull, sending paralyzing waves of pain through his body. It began almost subtly, but grew over time as she asked him questions about Earth-about the Tau'ri, as they called the humans and their planet-and he refused to answer. Eventually, to his relief, she became tired of the endless questions being met with no answers, and shut of the hand device, withdrawing her arm. Daniel collapsed, groaning loudly both from the lingering pain of the hand device and from the pain of the impact of his bruised body with the ground.

"Why do you not answer?" she demanded. "You know I cannot let you live, but if you give me what I want I will consider making your death less painful."

Despite himself, Daniel laughed weakly from the floor. "Too late for that…" He immediately regretted it when pain flared in his chest from the sharp movement. He regretted it even more a moment later when Amaunet nodded to one of the jaffa, who gave him a swift kick in the ribs-the same ones that were cracked. Danielshrieked in agony and doubled over which, being on the ground, pulled him into a fetal position. Amaunet spoke again, and Daniel tried to listen even as he gasped painfully for the air that had been knocked out of him.

"So be it. If you will not tell me anything yet, then perhaps your friend will." With that, the Goa'uld motioned for two of the four jaffa in the room to follow her, and headed for the door.

"What!" Daniel cried in alarm, grimacing as he pushed himself up on one elbow, ignoring the pain for the moment. "Y-you can't do that!"

But Amaunet ignored him. She did, however, turn to the two remaining jaffa in the room before she left. "Continue to interrogate him. I will be questioning the other prisoner."

"No!" Daniel shouted after her as she left. "Leave Sam alone! Sha're!-" He had more to say, but he was forced to break off abruptly when he received another sharp kick from one of the serpent guards at the last word. That sent more pain just as sharp tearing through his torso, and he wasn't even given time to recover before they grabbed his arms and dragged him to the chains on the side wall, only making his mid-sectionhurt worse, and he groaned loudly.

But what was worse was that Daniel felt sick; now Amaunet was going to interrogate Sam. He knew she wouldn't say anything either, which meant that, more than likely, soon she, too, would be caught in the grip of the ribbon device, and he didn't want that. He tried not to think about what else the Goa'uld might do to her, as well. _Please, _he pleaded to no one in particular. _Please, let Sam be okay, please…_

Daniel was pulled rudely out of his thoughts when a sudden new pain was called to his attention. He quickly looked in that direction to see one of the jaffa taking hold of his arm and opening one of the chains with the intention of putting it around his wrist as they had done before. But by now both of his wrists were so raw and hurting that he knew it wouldn't feel very good at all for them to be chained again.

"Do you have to do that…?" he implored hopefully, but was cut off again when the man snapped the cuff roughly closed, eliciting a yelp from Daniel. The scientist winced, "Okay, I guess you do…Ah!" He cried out again when the other jaffa closed the other one. "You know, you could try being a little less brutal for a change…" Daniel tried, but was only rewarded with another harsh blow to the face. "Guess not…" he rasped.

* * *

Samantha Carter looked up when she heard footsteps in the corridor, hoping that whoever was there was bringing Daniel. It had been over an hour. It could be him…

A moment later Amaunet came into view, and two jaffa…but no Daniel. Carter stood once the door had opened and the they had entered. "What do you want? Where's Daniel?"

"Doctor Jackson is still being interrogated."

"Interrogated!" Sam cried in alarm. "You never said anything about wanting any information! What are you doing to him!"

Amaunet smiled. "That is none of your concern. You should be concerned for yourself. Your friend is not revealing any information, but things will be easier for both of you if _you_ do."

Carter glared at her, standing her ground. "I don't think so."

The Goa'uld nodded to the two serpent guards with her. "Your mistake," she said simply. The jaffa moved forward and took firm hold on Carter's arms, holding her in place.

"Let me go!" the major demanded. She pulled and twisted, but it was no use. Amaunet closed the distance between them, and activated her hand device. The orange beam caught Carter's forehead, and she gasped, her head snapping backwards for a moment.

"This isn't going to help you any," Sam growled through clenched teeth despite the pain that now flooded her body.

Amaunet only smirked and increased the intensity of the beam, drawing a moan from Carter. "We shall see, Major Carter. We shall see."

* * *

By now, the only thing keeping Daniel Jackson conscious was the excruciating pain that permeated his body as he was dragged along the corridor, leaving a steady stream of moans, gasps, and cries in his wake. The two jaffa he was suspended between still didn't care how much pain their jostling caused him as they brought him back to the holding cell. At least, he thought tiredly, after what must have been another hour or more of interrogation, they had finally decided that it was enough for the moment.

There was something he should be remembering…something very important…but through the haze of pain that had settled over his mind, it was hard to think. What was it…? Daniel cried out again at a sudden bump, and his train of thought was derailed as he sank into the murky mist.

A few minutes later, Daniel was jarred to full consciousness again when he felt himself being dropped face down onto the floor of the holding cell. He shouted and rolled to his side, holding his injured ribs. But then he realized that his shout wasn't the only sound of pain in the room. Another sound of…moaning…was it feminine? His senses were still muted, his mind still murky. Gasping, he squinted as his vision slowly cleared-or cleared as much as it could without his glasses-and his ears slowly returned to normal. _I think this is what I needed to remember…_

After another few moments, the blurred sounds and hazy blobs of color he was seeing asserted themselves, and he found himself staring in horror at the scene before him. Amaunet had Carter on her knees, caught in the ribbon device, and from the brightness and thickness of the beam, the major's pained expressions, and the cries that were escaping, it was obvious that the Goa'uld was being rather aggressive with it. Daniel eyes widened. _Sam! _

"Stop it…" he whispered weakly, but knew immediately that it hadn't been loud enough. Clenching his teeth against the pain, he pushed himself up on one elbow, and gathered his strength. "Stop it!" Daniel yelled as loudly as he could.

That got her attention, but instead of stopping, she only turned to look at him.

"Please, don't," Daniel pleaded, still breathing heavily. "She's…she's not the one you…you wanted here. I am. Just…stop it, please…"

Amaunet smiled. "You're right; she isn't. I wanted you…and information. Give the information I desire, and I will stop."

Daniel stared at her, and looked at Sam, knew how much pain she was in. He could see streaks on her face where unbidden tears of pain had fallen, and almost considered it as he suddenly felt overwhelming anger at the Goa'uld for harming his friend.

"Daniel, don't-" Sam gasped, but was instantly cut off in a scream when Amaunet frowned and intensified the beam.

"No!" Daniel cried, pushing up farther. He looked at his wife desperately, hoping she was in there watching, somewhere, hoping she could help them. "I can't tell you anything now more than I could two hours ago, but please, just leave Sam alone! You can do what you want to me, but don't hurt her!"

"No Daniel!-AHH!" Carter screamed, trying again to dissuade him, but again only being rewarded with more pain.

Suddenly, Daniel could take no more of it. In an adrenaline rush that gave him more energy than he would have ever thought he had left, he leapt to his feet and lunged toward Amaunet. He didn't want to hurt Sha're, only knock her away from Sam, and get that hand device turned off…

But she re-directed the beam--snapping it away from Carter, widening it, and aiming it in his direction--faster than he'd have ever thought a Goa'uld was capable of. The energy wave slammed into Daniel's body and threw him backwards into the wall in a fashion remarkably reminiscent of his first encounter with Apophis--only this time, as injured as he already was, it hurt considerably more.

Carter collapsed, and Daniel howled in agony upon impact with the hard surface, then sank to the floor, gasping in heavy breaths that sounded almost like sobs. Amaunet only smirked, and strode from the cell, the door closing behind her. Once they were gone, Daniel pushed himself forward onto his hand and knees and crawled slowly toward his friend, unable to even think about standing again at the moment. He could barely move as it was without sharps knives of pain piercing his ribs, and if he hadn't been worried about Sam, he wouldn't have even been able to force himself to go that far.

Daniel suppressed another groan as he stopped in front of Carter. He took a moment to catch him breath--somewhat--before speaking, but it didn't help much. "Sam, you…you okay?" he asked with concern, grimacing as he help her sit up.

Carter nodded weakly, but her eyes were red-rimmed, and before she could stop them new tears began to fall. Crying softly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and after a moment of hesitation Daniel put his arms around her in return, offering what comfort he could. Saying nothing at first, he held her gently, trying to ignore the uncomfortable nature of the situation--and the physical pain coming from most of his body--because he knew that Sam needed a friend right now. He did too, after something like this, so he let her cry, her tears falling on his shoulder, where her head rested. But that didn't mean he knew exactly what to do.

"It's okay, Sam…" he said clumsily.

After a moment or two, Carter's tears subsided, and she gave a weak laugh. "Daniel, you're really bad at this," she said, pulling back and looking at him as she swept an arm across her face to dry it with the sleeve of her long-sleeved black shirt.

Daniel smiled despite himself. "Yeah, I guess I am. Are you okay?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah…killer headache, but I'll be fine. And…thanks."

"For what? Being stupid?"

Carter laughed again, louder this time, and it made him feel better to know that _she_ was feeling better. "No, Daniel, for what you did. And just…" she shrugged. "For being here."

"I knew it," Daniel complained good-naturedly. "You're better at this than I am."

Sam looked confused for a moment. "What?"

Daniel shook his head. "I…I haven't thanked you….You've been here the whole time…and…" But he stopped there, not knowing what else to say.

Carter smiled at him softly. "It's all right; I know. And don't worry about it. What are friends for, right?"

"Right…."

Daniel sighed, but that proved to be a mistake when fresh stabs of pain gripped his chest, doubling him over with a gasp--but the additional sharp intake of breath didn't help any, and he cried out.

"Daniel!" Carter yelped in alarm, catching him. He slumped in her arms, moaning; his strength was giving out, the extra energy expenditure of a few minutes before taking its toll, and the pain from his injuries was surging in full force.

"Hold on, Daniel," Carter soothed, gently lowering him to the ground. "Just lay down…" He was gasping in pain, and she winced in sympathy, wishing there were more she could do for him. "Just a minute…" With that, the major jumped up and grabbed Daniel's jacket from the far corner of the room, then knelt beside him again. "Here you go," she said quietly, lifting his head and placing the crumpled jacket under it. "You'll be all right." Daniel smiled at her through a grimace.

"Thanks Sam…" he gasped, and Carter put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're welcome. Now try to get some more sleep, okay?" He nodded weakly, not needing any more prompting to close his eyes.

Sighing, Carter pulled back, not sure where to sleep. Should she go back to where she had been sleeping earlier, or stay on the floor near Daniel? The latter would certainly be more considerate...

Making her decision, she snatched her own jacket from the bench beside her and stuffed in under her head as she lied down a few feet from her friend. Carter stayed awake until Daniel's moaning faded away, his breathing evened out, and she was sure he was asleep. At least that way he couldn't feel any pain--physical anyway. She wasn't sure about emotional, though, because even in sleep, she heard him muttering his wife's name.


	11. Short Lived Reunion

Here's chapter 11. Enjoy and please review:) I need to know what ya think so I know how to keep going. Let me know! And thanks for everyone who has reviewed so far, please continue to do so. :)

Chapter 11

Jack O'Neill sighed in frustration as he and what was left of his team lowered themselves into chairs in the briefing room. Jack was tired. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, he hadn't left the base to do it, and he, Teal'c and Janet Fraiser had all agreed to wake up early to begin searching again. They had just returned from the first planet of the day.

"Planet number twenty-one; bust number twenty-one," Jack grumbled.

"Actually, colonel, two of the other teams that left this morning made it back before you did, so that would planet number twenty-three," general Hammond corrected as he took his own seat.

"All right, planet twenty-three," Janet said with a bit of guarded annoyance. "That doesn't change the fact that we haven't found them yet."

"I know that, doctor," Hammond agreed, his tone level.

Teal'c looked around at them all. "We do not seem to making much progress searching in this manner," the jaffa stated bluntly.

"Thank you, Teal'c, I think I figured that out about twenty-_four_ hours ago. And nobody tell me I got that number wrong," O'Neill replied snarkily.

Despite herself, Fraiser smiled; Hammond felt a ghost of one pass fleetingly over his lips.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I simply mean that I believe we should consider other options."

"What other options, Teal'c?" Hammond asked, clearly actually interested in the larger man's reply.

"I believe we should seek assistance."

"From who?" Janet inquired.

"Our only off-world allies who have the resources and willingness to help us in our search…"

All three other occupants of the table registered immediate recognition of who he was referring too, but O'Neill didn't look the least bit happy about it.

"Aww, Teal'c, don't say it-"

"…the Tok'ra."

Jack shook his head and put it in his hands. "I _told_ you not to say it…"

"Teal'c has a point, colonel," Hammond said. "If we can contact them, they may very well be able to give us substantial help with our search. They may even have other options. Besides, I think Jacob would want to know about this. Don't you agree.

Jack looked at the general and winced. "That part-yes. The rest-sorry sir, but no."

"I'm sorry, Jack, but that doesn't matter. We're going to contact them whether you like it or not." Teal'c nodded in agreement with the general, and O'Neill glared at him. Fraiser seemed indifferent to the idea.

With that statement, General Hammond rose and headed in the direction of the 'Gate room, Janet not far behind. O'Neill and Teal'c rose to follow, the latter reluctantly.

Teal'c finally chose to take notice of his commander's sour expression, and spoke. "I am sorry, O'Neill, but I only wish to find our friends as much as you do."

"Yeah, okay," Jack relented. "But next time I tell you not to say something-don't say it."

The corner of Teal'c mouth tilted upward. "I cannot promise anything, O'Neill."

Jack sighed. "Yeah, I thought you'd say something like that."

* * *

Morning had come; the order was given. The ground forces of the enemy moved, but there were no death gliders. As small as the outpost was, it had been assumed they would not be needed-Goa'uld arrogance at its best-even though the objective in itself was a large one--capture the base, kill Apophis's queen, and thus gain the service of the forces she controlled for their master, Heru-er.

* * *

Daniel shouted in pain as he was kicked harshly in the gut yet again from his prone position on the floor, unable to get up. The force of the blow sent him rolling hard into the wall of the interrogation room, and upon impact the world abruptly blinked out.

When everything snapped on again Jackson found himself screaming, his back arching in agony as the Goa'uld torture stick dug into his neck for lack of chains. The jaffa who held the device pulled it away after a few moments, and Daniel went limp, gasping but trying not to do it too hard so as not to cause any more extra pain than necessary to his cracked ribs. At the moment they were burning quite severely, and controlling his intake of air in any form to keep from making them hurt worse was becoming harder and harder as time went on. Funny--he would have thought it would have been the other way around…

Daniel's thoughts trailed away again, dissolving in pain that seared through his body and mind when two of the serpent guards that had been beating him pulled him up onto his knees at their queen's command. The young scientist was too exhausted to do much more than moan.

Amaunet approached him, her left hand-the one adorned by the ribbon device-lifted, and Daniel bit back a sob. _No, Sha're don't…please…not again. Not that again. I can't take anymore. Amaunet's killing me. Stop her. You have to stop her. Please, please, Sha're, fight it…Come back to me…Stop this and come back to me…_

But none of the words left his mouth before the hand device activated, paralyzing him in agony yet again. Speaking them would only make thing worse, and right now, worse could finish him. He couldn't die yet. He had to find another way to get through to her, or a way to talk to her without any vengeful jaffa nearby. He had to live to save her…

But there was a difference this time in the way the Goa'uld wielded the device, a certain intensity of the pain that again and again ripped tortured groans from his throat, and suddenly Daniel realized that the beam was no longer meant only to torment him. Amaunet really was trying to kill him; she really was ready to finish him here and now. Now he tried to speak, to dissuade her, but it was too late. He was too far gone, held too tightly in the deadly beam, too weak.

_NO! Not like this! It can't end like this! No, Sha're, not like this…I love you…not like this…notlikethisnotlikethisnotlikethis…_Daniel thought desperately, his eyes glistening with tears that threatened to escape.

They might have, but suddenly Amaunet was interrupted by the sound of staff blasts in the background. The hand device snapped off as an alarmed jaffa ran into the room. Daniel collapsed, barely conscious and struggling to breath, and he almost didn't hear the man's report.

"Lady Amaunet! The compound is under attack from Heru-er's forces!"

The Goa'uld spun to stare at her subordinate. "What! That is impossible! The location of this base is not known to our enemies!"

The jaffa shook his head nervously, fearful of the wrath of his god. "They have discovered it, somehow, My Lady. The ground forces broke through our defenses and were in inside the compound so quickly, they are headed this way, and now we are detecting one enemy hu'tack in orbit." Already the other four jaffa in the room were picking up their staff weapons and leaving to join the fight down the corridor, but Amaunet continued to glare at the bearer of the news.

"But we have three hu'tack vessels. Surely we have sufficiently more forces enough to defeat them easily," she said, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes, My Queen. They took us by surprise initially, but we will soon have eradicated the threat. Still, as a precaution, we should evacuate you to your ship for safety."

Daniel heard the sounds of the firefight between serpent and horus guards coming closer and closer-too close. But Amaunet glanced in his direction and then back at the jaffa. "No. I am not finished here. I am confident they can be quickly dealt with. I will be fine."

The jaffa nodded quickly. "Yes, My Lady."

Amaunet smiled slightly. "Good." And then, before Daniel knew what was happening, she had taken two large strides, closing the distance between herself and the jaffa, and had turned the ribbon device on him. Within seconds he was dead, and slumped to the floor. Daniel stared in horror at the jaffa's body, knowing that now she would come after him again, that soon that would also be him…

The battle was even closer to them now. It sounded as if it was right on top of them; in fact, through the open doorway of the small room, he could see blast bolts and blue arcs of energy coming from around the corner. But Amaunet paid no attention to them, her focus on her next target. With no more jaffa present to pull him up, she leaned over and roughly hooked her right hand in the front of the collar of his black t-shirt, pulling him upright to his groans of pain.

"Sha're, no," Daniel rasped weakly as her left hand rose to his forehead, eyeing the hand device fearfully. "Fight her, Sha're, fight her!"

Amaunet ignored him. Sha're either couldn't hear him, or just as before, failed to break out. But before she could activate the device, a stray blast bolt from the firefight just down the corridor found its way through the door, and took her in the leg.

"Sha're!" Daniel cried, catching her as she cried out and crashed to the ground. But almost immediately the Goa'uld within her snarled at him and pushed away.

"Do not worry yourself about me, human," Amaunet hissed, her voice even more gravely than that of a normal Goa'uld because of her injury, if that was possible.

Reacting more than acting, not thinking as his instincts took over, Daniel pushed himself to his feet, took her by the arms, then swung, pushed her into the nearest corner and crouched in front of her, covering her with his own body, shielding her from anymore stray or purposeful shots that might come their way even though his injured body screamed in protest.

"What are you doing!" Amaunet cried from where she now sat in front of him, pressed into the wall.

Daniel scowled at her at the same time that he was trying to asses the severity of her wound. "Look," he said, his voice low and weak, yet steady and determined at the same time, "I don't care about you. I don't care what _happens_ to you. But I do care about my wife-very much-and I _am _going to protect her." Then he sighed, and his voice softened. "The wound isn't bad. You'll be fine."

"Of course I will be fine. With our superior technology, your human bodies are-"

"-easy to repair. Yeah, I got that. Now would you please be quiet so we won't draw attention to ourselves. I'd rather not get both of us killed. Besides, you should be conserving energy."

Amaunet scowled. Even though the wound was not substantial, she was still losing blood. She was getting weaker and she knew it, so grudgingly, she shut her mouth, but her eyes flared at him for a moment-a short moment. Suddenly the glow died away and her eyes closed, her head rearing back. Daniel's eyes widened, unsure of what was happening or what he should do.

"No-!" the Goa'uld yelped, but for some reason was cut off. A moment later she pulled in a breath, but somehow…it sounded human. Her eyes opened seconds later, and she looked at him with new eyes. Or rather, not new eyes, but eyes that he hadn't seen in so long he had almost forgotten how they took his breath away with their softness and simplistic beauty…

"Dan'iel?" Sha're whispered.

Daniel released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Sha're?" he said in disbelief.

Sha're gripped the arms that held her back against the wall, gulping. "Dan'iel, I'm sorry-!"

"Don't," Daniel interrupted her, the tears that had gathered in his eyes starting to fall as he released the grip he'd had on her arms and brought one hand up to touch her face. The other took her hand. "It's all right. It wasn't you." Before he could stop it, a sob escaped his throat as he pulled her to him, embracing her gently. "Sha're, I love you. I love you so much…"

"I love you too, Dan'iel," she whispered back softly as she returned his embrace, snuggling into his chest. Staying upright, holding her, it all only made everything hurt worse, but Daniel didn't care. He had Sha're now, and everything would be all right…

Suddenly something slammed into Daniel's back, and he shouted in agony as searing pain ripped through his torso.

"Dan'iel!" Sha're cried in alarm. Only then did Daniel realize he'd been hit. He gasped and sank in her arms, his eyes widening in shock, unable to stay up on his knees anymore. Already he felt his consciousness fading. Sha're's grip on his arms tightened, trying to hold him up, keep him from falling to the floor. She saw how bad the wound was, knew what it probably meant, and he did too. "Dan'iel, no!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes.

Behind them the firefight wound to a close, the serpent guards finally overpowering the horuses, but neither noticed.

"Sh-Sha're…" Daniel gasped, struggling to stay awake. But he was fighting a losing battle.

"Dan'iel, hold on," Sha're answered tearfully. But then she gasped, flinging her head backward as she had moments before. When her eyes opened, they flared orange with the glow of the Goa'uld again. Amaunet had re-taken control.

"No, Sha're-!" Daniel rasped, but before he could continue the Goa'uld snorted in disgust as tossed him away from her. He cried out in pain and hit the floor a few feet away. He watched as she stood, favoring her injured leg and leaning against the wall.

"Stay away from me, human," she snapped, glowering at him.

Daniel felt his heart breaking all over again. He'd had her back, had Sha're back for a moment, but just as suddenly as she had been taken the first time, she had been stolen from him again. "No…" Daniel gasped even as he felt himself growing weaker and weaker, blackness closing in around the edges of his vision. "Sha're, come back…" But that was as far as he got before the darkness claimed him.


	12. Assistance

Here's the next chapter! Thank you to all you new reviewers, and those who have been revewing! If all of you keep reviewing every chaptwr, this story will be finished quickly indeed. So please enjoy this chapter, and review!

Chapter 12

Samantha Carter looked up tiredly when she heard the door to the cell open, and relief crossed her face when she saw that they were returning Daniel. When she'd heard the sounds of a firefight, and the yelled reports and realized what was happening, she had been worried for him. Now, she didn't say anything when the jaffa dropped him facedown onto the floor; she only stood, wincing, glad that he didn't seem to be conscious to feel it. As the guards backed out of the cell, she took another step or two toward Daniel, but suddenly stopped and gasped when she saw the nasty staff blast wound on his back.

"Oh my--what happened!" she cried, running to his side and crouching down beside him. She didn't expect an answer, much less from whom she got it from.

"Stray staff blast from the attack," Amaunet answered bluntly. Sam glanced up to see her passing the cell, supported by two jaffa because Sha're's leg was injured as well. It didn't seem life-threatening, but it was bad enough that the Goa'uld could not heal it quickly enough to walk on her own. Her face twisted. "The fault is all his own. He chose to shield me."

Carter almost smiled at that; of course he would have. But then she frowned. "Why are you bringing him back here? He could…he could die. You have to do something…"

As she spoke, Daniel suddenly gasped, coming to, but even once he'd awoke, his breath came in short, pained huffs that he seemed to have to struggle for, and his eyes didn't open. Sam's throat tightened, realizing how much pain he must have been in. She wasn't even sure he was aware of what was happening around him yet. Then her attention was drawn back to the Goa'uld.

Amaunet's eyes flared, and she smirked. "I do not 'have' to do anything. I could simply let him die. But then I would not have the satisfaction of killing him myself. So he will be healed, but not now. I must use the sarcophagus first, and then there are other, more important things that need to be taken care of before attending to wounded prisoners."

Carter gulped. "B-but you can't just leave him like this! He's suffering!"

"Then he will have to suffer until there is time to bring him to the sarcophagus," Amaunet replied coldly. She turned to go, and Sam shouted at her back as she went, horror sticking in her throat and making it hard to speak.

"Wait! You can't do this! Don't!...Don't do this to him, Sha're, come back!"

"Sam…" Daniel's voice gasped from beside her knees.

Gulping again before taking her eyes off the retreating Goa'uld, Sam looked down at her friend, unable to hold back a grimace at the sight of the staff blast wound. "Daniel, are you all right?" It was a stupid question; of course he wasn't all right. His _life_ was in immediate danger at the moment for goodness sakes.

And Daniel shook his head, his eyes still not open, clenched shut in agony as he gasped out his fractured reply. "No…C-can't…breath…help…roll off…stomach."

Carter's eyes widened as she forced her pure worry to slack off a bit in order to allow her to think, and comprehended that the reason he was gasping like fish out of water was because he was laying on his injured ribs. Nodding quickly, she gently rolled him onto his side, careful to avoid the fresh wound. When he had been positioned better, his breathing seemed to slowly be less of a chore, and Sam allowed herself to relax a bit.

"That help some?" she asked, just to make sure.

Daniel nodded weakly. "Some…" he whispered hoarsely.

"So, did you hear..." she inquired carefully.

"Yeah, I heard what she said," Daniel answered quietly. His voice wasn't comprised of strangled gasps anymore, but it was still thin, weak, and scratchy, with an occasional light gasp of pain--not surprising, when he'd just taken a staff blast full in the back. It was a wonder he wasn't dead already. The shot must have somehow missed all of the important things, leaving him crippled and in excruciating pain. Usually he would have tried to, but there was no way that Daniel could have hidden the fact of how much he was hurting at the moment, and it showed fully on his face as he spoke, along with the dread of having to endure it until Amaunet's jaffa returned for him.

Sam grimaced again and rubbed his shoulder. "It's all right. I'll be here."

Daniel only nodded weakly, but she didn't blame him for not feeling like talking anymore. Opening his eyes and glancing up, across the floor, Daniel stopped his jacket still lying on the ground few feet away. He groped for it, but it wasn't close enough, and trying to stretch only hurt more. Sam leaned over, caught the edge of it with her fingers, and pulled it closer to him. Daniel nodded in thanks and took hold of it, pulling it under his head, though when it was it position supporting his head he still gripped balls of the fabric tightly in both hands. His eyes clenched shut again before she'd gotten much of a chance to see them, fighting the pain.

Sam gripped his shoulder again, more firmly this time. "Daniel?"

He gulped. "It's okay, Sam. I can…I can handle it until they come back--provided it doesn't kill me first." The corner of his mouth curled up almost into a momentary half-smile at the last statement, and she wondered how he could do that when he knew he was dying. Even though the Goa'uld had promised Daniel would be put in the sarcophagus later, that still bothered her. What if he couldn't hold on until they returned? What would happen then? But she immediately pushed the though away, not wanting to dwell on it.

"Are you sure?" she asked in concern.

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Uhm…no, I…I guess not," Carter sighed.

An uncomfortable moment of silence passed, the only sound Daniel's labored breathing, until Daniel finally looked up at her, opening his red rimmed, tear filled, and exhausted eyes again. The bright blue of his irises only made the deep, dark circles under his eyes stand out more. Sam had to resist the urge to shudder at how much more pain her friend's eyes betrayed then the rest of his face, and not all of it was physical.

"Sam…I saw her," Daniel breathed.

At first she just looked at him, and then her own eyes widened. "Sha're? She-"

Daniel nodded slowly. "After she got hit, I covered her, but…Amaunet was weakened by the wound, I guess, and Sha're broke out…for a minute. But then I got hit, and…" He was blinking rapidly now, pushing back the tears that wanted to fall. "And then she was…she was gone…again." Something between another gasp of pain and a sob escaped his throat, and Sam's heart went out to him. "…again..." he whispered.

* * *

The response from the Tok'ra came thankfully quicker than they had expected, and as General Hammond ordered the iris to be opened to let through the Tok'ra representative they were sending, Jack O'Neill found himself thankful they had actually hadn't wasted time, but still hoping that the Tok'ra coming wasn't one of the really annoying ones…

O'Neill's worries halted when Jacob Carter stepped through the Stargate onto the ramp, and he let out a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding. Then he headed from the control room, following Hammond.

"Jacob! It's good to see you," Hammond said, greeting his friend warmly at the door to the 'gate room with a smile and a handshake.

"Good to be home, George," Jacob smiled back. "Jack," he said, nodding toward O'Neill, who nodded in return. "Selmak says hi, too, but you'll probably get to talk to him later anyway," the older man grinned. "Now what's this about, George?" Then he started to look around for his daughter. "And…where's Sam?"

Hammond sighed, Jack frowned, and that was all Jacob need to know something was wrong. His smile faded. "What wrong?"

"I'm afraid that's what this is about, Jacob. Major Carter and Doctor Jackson are missing."

"Sam and Daniel? What happened?" Jacob asked in concern as Hammond started to herd him and O'Neill toward the briefing room.

"We're not entirely sure, but we have a theory. The only problem is that our search plan is taking too long. Did Major Carter ever tell you how we found the second 'gate on Earth in Antarctica?"

Jacob nodded, frowning. "Yes, I remember something about. You don't think the same thing happened again, do you?"

"That's the only feasible answer we have right now. Nothing's come through the second 'gate here, but there any number of planets it could have jumped to between here and P5R-316."

"So basically, we have no idea," O'Neill offered.

Hammond nodded as the three of them sat down. "Can the Tok'ra help us, Jacob?"

Jacob looked thoughtful for a moment more, then bowed his head to look at his hands folded on the table for a moment. When his head lifted, it was the symbiote, Selmak, who spoke.

"Our resources are always stretched somewhat thing, and right now is no exception, but I believe we could spare a ship or two to help your search, though I will have to speak to the council on that matter, and we will certainly relay any intelligence we may come across concerning your missing people."

Hammond nodded again, this time in thanks. "Thank you, Selmak. We'll be glad for all the help we can get locating them." But even as he spoke, a chill that he could never stop ran up his spine at the voice of the Tok'ra, which was identical to that of a Goa'uld. He liked Selmak, and Jacob was one of the best friends he'd ever had, but it still spooked him a bit. He could see it did the same to O'Neill, who shifted uncomfortably even as he looked happy at the news.

Jacob's head bowed again, then lifted and Jacob spoke. "And we'll offer as much as we can, George. We'll find my daughter--we'll find both of them."

* * *

Daniel Jackson woke with a start, his head jerking upward, and he found himself staring down at his folded arms, set on top of his desk. His glasses lay a few inches away, on top of an open reference book, and he picked them up, groggily sliding them onto his face. _What…? _he wondered absently, looking around, and then remembered that he had stayed on base because he hadn't thought he'd be able to sleep before the mission the next day. Not to mention he hadn't really wanted to sleep; he'd known it would bring the kind of terrible dreams he'd been having.

Daniel shuddered at the memories-turned-nightmares, and not for the first time that day. Of all the places to go after he'd finally gotten rid of Vala, why did it have to be there? Having Vala MalDoran around for several weeks and having no choice but to remain near her at all times had been bad enough; now he was being forced to relive an even more potent nightmare from his past.

Sighing heavily, Daniel picked up the text he'd been trying to translate before he'd drifted off at his desk and attempted to continue. But just as before, he didn't have much luck pushing thoughts of Sha're and what had happened on that planet--now designated P5R-322--from his mind. He was almost grateful for the interruption when Cameron Mitchell's voice echoed from the doorway.

"Hey, Jackson, what are you still doing here? It's after midnight."

Daniel glanced at the clock and that it was, in fact, almost two o'clock in the morning, and shrugged. "I could ask you the same question."

"Good point," Mitchell conceded. "Can I come in?"

Now Daniel actually looked in his direction. "Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." He motioned to another chair that sat beside the table near his desk, and the colonel sauntered into the office and lowered himself into the rolling chair, spinning a couple of times on the mechanism before stopping to face Jackson.

"Couldn't sleep?" At Daniel expression, Cameron shrugged. "Yeah, me either."

Daniel snorted. "You're just excited about what we might find there. I'm just…" He trailed off, grimacing, and Mitchell peered at him.

"You know, Daniel, if this is really bothering you that much, you're welcome to sit this one out."

The archaeologist shook his head. "No, you'll need me to read anything in Goa'uld we come across, and there's likely to be a lot of it, considering it was a Goa'uld base. I'll…I'll be fine."

"You sure? 'Cause I can even ask General Landry to assign this mission to another team if I need to…." Mitchell offered generously. "I mean, I know Carter's having a little trouble with this too…"

"Sam? No, she'll be all right," Daniel said, giving a half smile. But it quickly faded and he looked away, not saying anything else about himself.

Mitchell eyed him. "You know, maybe talking about it would help…"

Daniel shook his head slowly. "No…I don't think so. I'd rather not right now," he said quietly, plucking up a pencil, and twirling it between his fingers, hoping that if he took his attention away from Mitchell that he would just go away…

But Mitchell didn't give up so easily. "I don't mind listening, Daniel, and if something's going to affect the performance of my team, I need to know."

Daniel blew air through his teeth. "It's not going to affect anything, Cameron, okay? I told you, I'll be fine," he said forcefully, the edge in his voice clearly telling the colonel to back off, bordering on the irritated. His grip on the pencil tightened, and it stopped spinning.

"Daniel, I'm your commander. I know we haven't known each other all that long but still… If you can't talk to me, who can you talk to? Come on-"

The pencil in Daniel's hand snapped, and so did his patience, stopping Cameron Mitchell in his proverbial tracks. "Look, _colonel_, when I say I don't want to talk about something, there's usually a really good reason. I was tortured within an inch of my life on that planet, and the entire time I had to look at my wife's face, sneering down at me under the control of the Goa'uld who had taken control of her body. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, and I just don't want to say any more than that, all right!"

Mitchell gulped, raising his hands in the air as he gave up, suddenly knowing he'd gone too far. "All right, all right. Sorry. I wasn't tryin' to upset anybody…"

Daniel slumped, sighing heavily and resting his forehead in his hands on the desk. "No…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up like that. You're…you're right. I should be able to talk to you. But…" He trailed off and looked at Mitchell. Cameron saw pain reflected in Jackson's eyes that had been under the surface for a long time, that he only allowed to surface for a moment before currying it again. "But I can't," Daniel finished softly. "Not about that."

Mitchell stood slowly. "Yeah…sorry, Daniel."

The scientist flashed him one of his famous smiles, if not one that was a bit smaller than usual, before turning back to his work. "It's okay."

Cameron nodded. "Right. Yeah, I think I'll get going now, see if I can get some sleep. You should too…"

But Daniel didn't even look up, engrossed in his work again--or was it his thoughts?

Mitchell sighed and moved off, mumbling to himself. "Or, you could just stay up all night. Knock yourself out."


	13. Remembering

Sorry this took so long. I had a big honkin' algebra test thursday, so I didn't have time to write all week, so I just got this done today. Anyway, here's a new chapter. Please read and enjoy. And please review so I know what you think about this new direction in this new chapter, please. I'd appreciate any and all feedback, and thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far.

Chapter 13

Sam Carter sat with her back against the edge of the bench, rubbing her temples as she kept a watchful eye on her friend. Daniel's pained, labored breathing seemed to drill into her skull at the exact moments the monstrous headache she'd developed pulsed in her head. She hoped someone would return for him soon for both their sakes. She hated to see him suffering. They should soon anyway--it had already been ours.

Unable to sit still anymore and wanting to get her mind away from the thudding pain, she moved closer to Jackson again and touched his shoulder.

"Hey, Daniel, how you doing?"

His eyes opened and looked up at her slowly. "Well, I'm still alive," he said with a grimace. But then Daniel coughed, and the simple grimace turned to an expression of agony. "Ohhhhh, they'd better get here soon," he moaned.

"I wish there was something I could do…" she said softly, voicing the thought for once.

"I know you do. And believe me-so do I." He came up short of breath, and his eyes clenched shut again as he struggled to get enough air in, and deal with the pain it caused. He thought he'd have gotten used to doing that by now, but unfortunately that wasn't so in the slightest. When he'd finally filled his lungs enough, he relaxed some, and his consciousness started to fade again.

"Hold on, Daniel," Sam comforted. He nodded weakly, and a few minutes later they were rewarded by the faint sound of footsteps coming closer.

"Sam…please tell me that's them," Daniel whispered hoarsely, an almost desperate note in his voice. Grimacing, Sam stood and took a quick look down the corridor, then returned to his side.

"Yeah, I think so," she reported, relief in her voice. She patted his hand, "You'll be okay."

"I hope so…" he answered, his voice barely audible. Daniel fought to stay awake, but ultimately he lost again. When Carter saw that he had slipped into unconsciousness, she sighed, knowing it was probably better. Maybe the sarcophagus would heal him, but that didn't mean they would be easy getting him there. She said nothing as the jaffa entered the cell and carried him away, only praying silently that when they brought him back he would be all right.

* * *

"Where is Daniel Jackson?"

Teal'c sudden question broke the silence that hung over the briefing room, where he, Carter, and Mitchell sat around the table.

"Last time I check last night, he was still in his office," Cameron offered. "I don't think he ever left."

Carter sighed. "I knew I should have made sure he went home before I left. Something told me he'd probably do something like that…"

Mitchell stood, stretching. "I get him…"

Sam beat him to her feet. "No, I'll go."

The colonel sat down again. "Okay, fine with me. Whatever floats your boat."

Carter gave her friends a brief smile. "I'll be right back with Daniel," she assured them before she left, heading up to Jackson's office.

She found him hunched over his desk, his head in his arms, out cold. She smiled to herself and placed a playful hand on his head, mussing his hair even more as she gently shook his head back and forth in an attempt to wake him.

"Come on, Doctor Jackson, time to wake up," she prodded.

Daniel shifted, mumbling in his sleep. "I know I need to fix the tent today, honey, but just five more minutes, please…" Sam looked confused for a moment, and then realized that her shaking him must have brought to the surface a memory which was now playing in his dreams. She sighed.

"Really, Daniel, wake up," she said, a bit louder this time as she moved her hand to his shoulder and shook harder.

The archaeologist shifted again, groaning, his face showing that the dreams had gone sour. "No…Sha're, don't…please…fight her…"

Now Carter frowned. "Daniel!" He jerked, his head popping up, and Sam jumped back in surprise.

Daniel looked at her groggily. "You're not…" But he trailed off, sighing as he sat back in his chair. "I'm sorry Sam…" He looked around in confusion. "What time is it?"

"You're late; that's what time it is," she supplied. But then her voice softened. "You were dreaming about Sha're, weren't you?"

Her friend nodded, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before he set his glasses back on his face. "Yeah…This time it was okay at first," he smiled. "The old days on Abydos." Then his smile abruptly fell, and he shrugged, "But then…"

Carter nodded. "Yeah, I know. You were talking in your sleep. And…I had a few nightmares of my own last night."

"Oh. Sorry."

Sam smiled. "It's not a big deal. I'm okay. But you'd better get moving and gear up."

"Right…" Daniel nodded, taking in the fact that Carter was already in her own black BDUs. "Yeah, you can go on. I'll change and be there in a few minutes, okay?" Sam nodded back and moved off, but stopped at the door before leaving entirely.

"Daniel, are you sure you'll be all right?"

Jackson looked up at her and smiled. "I'll be fine, Sam."

Carter still wasn't entirely convinced, but she continued on anyway, knowing that she wouldn't get anything else from him at the moment.

* * *

P5R-322 was just like Daniel remembered, though minus the lights and the Goa'uld and jaffa all over the place. Then there was the fact that he didn't remember it as P5R-233; he remembered it as the planet where he had not only almost been killed, but where he had lost Sha're yet again. Then only another few months later she had died. The memories of her death were still painful, but not as painful as the ones of what had happened here, and he struggled to keep it from showing on his face as SG-1 stepped through the gate to the planet for the first time in over six years--the first time for Mitchell.

The colonel looked around with obvious interest. "Impressive," he stated simply.

"It was a lot more impressive when it was in use," Carter interjected. "And it would have been even more so if we hadn't been prisoners at the time."

Daniel glanced in their direction, and saw Cameron wince. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that, Carter."

Sam waved a hand. "Don't worry about it."

Mitchell nodded. "Right. Okay, so everybody split up, and let's find this thing. This place isn't supposed to be that big, and there shouldn't be any danger, so it shouldn't be hard, and you shouldn't have to prove that comment about danger wrong, okay people?"

Daniel didn't need any more prompting to move off on his own, as he really didn't want to have to deal with someone like Sam following him through the compound, continually asking him if he was okay like he knew she would. He knew she would mean well, but that wouldn't make it any less annoying, and if he could avoid it altogether he would, so that's what he did. Jackson was gone almost before the sentence had left Mitchell's mouth.

For a minute or so Daniel just walked, trying to distract himself and push away the feelings that rose in his throat and keep his emotions from running wild. But both his feet and his efforts stopped in their tracks when suddenly he realized that he knew exactly where he was. He looked to his left, and there is was--the cell he and Sam had been held captive in. There were a few others in this section, but he had been dragged into and out of this one so many times that it was burned into his memory.

Daniel gulped and kept going. He felt his grip tighten on the gun in his hands, which only served to remind him of how much had changed since then. Six years ago he wouldn't have been caught dead using one of the more powerful military weapons that Jack, Sam, and now Mitchell preferred, opting to stick with his handgun, but now he didn't hesitate to pick up a larger one. He realized that with all he had been through since then that the changes had been inevitable, and he didn't resent the chance to travel through the Stargate every day, but part of him still wished he could go back to the days when all he had to worry about was who was going to believe his radical theories and where his next paycheck was coming from. But then, of course, he would never have met Sha're, and even though how it had ended had left scars, Daniel wouldn't have traded the time he had with her for anything.

The scientist slowed again when he neared another corner he recognized, and realized that he wasn't so sure if he wanted to go around it. But his feet carried him to the other side anyway, and his breath caught in his throat when he saw that room he was now staring into was the room where he had been tortured for so many hours at Amaunet's command, sometimes by Amaunet himself, where he'd seen Sha're again, and lost her again.

By the time his breath came back he was already dizzy, and, breathing heavily, Daniel leaned against the corridor wall for support, though he wasn't quite sure if the support he really needed at the moment was physical or not. His vision blurred, and he began to blink rapidly to clear away the tears that started to gather in his eyes. He started to say something, but had gulp past the lump that he suddenly found in his throat first.

"Sha're, I'm sorry…" Daniel whispered. Then his eyes closed and his head dropped as he took several deep breaths to clear his head. _All right, Doctor Jackson, you have a mission to complete. Now's not the time to fall apart._ When he lifted his head again he started to move off, slipping his glasses off for a moment to swipe at his eyes with his sleeve. Any tears that had been left were dried, and he continued his end of the search for whatever, exactly, it was that the Goa'uld had left behind here.

After searching for a few minutes more along the darkened main corridor, farther than he had been into the complex before, he came across a large circular room that looked interesting indeed. There were several entrances to the room, though it would have been more accurate to call it a chamber, and at its center was what was hopefully the experimental time/space device that they were looking for. There wasn't much to the device itself; it was about his height, and cylindrical, with control panels protruding about waste high that were similar to any Goa'uld technology. But it was obviously very important, or had been important at one time to have been placed in the center of a room like this, even though now it seemed abandoned and there were a few empty crates lying here and there about the floor. There was no doubt in Daniel's mind that he had found what they were looking for.

He keyed his radio. "Hey guys, I think I found it."

"All right, Jackson, be right there," Mitchell answered.

As soon as he had a response Daniel started into the room. After a moment he turned, still walking, to look at the walls behind him, but then tripped on a crate that he didn't see. He stumbled into the device, felt a button or two compress under the weight of his arms, and suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light.

Daniel shouted, bringing his arms up to shield his face, but when he lowered them again the only thing that seemed to have changed was that the room was no longer dark. He could also see lights in the corridor outside the room through the door he had come in. The others were still closed.

"Oh-kay…so I hit a light switch…weird….Sure pack a punch coming on…" he mussed. In confusion he headed back toward the door, keying his radio and not taking the time to notice that the crates on the floor--namely the one he'd tripped over--had disappeared.

"Hey, guys, something weird just happened. Did the lights come on where you are?" No answer. He stepped outside the doorway to the room, thinking that maybe there was some type of shielding around it to protect the device that was blocking his signal. "Guys?" Again, no answer. Funny; he'd been able to use his radio out here just a minute ago…He frowned. "Sam. Teal'c, Mitchell, can you hear me?" Still nothing.

Now worried, Daniel started back the way he had come, but he stopped short when the first corner he rounded set him staring at the backs of two jaffa, walking away from his position. Suppressing a gasp, Daniel jerked backward a step and pulled himself back around the curve, pressing himself to the wall. _Okay, what the heck was that? This place is supposed to be abandoned!_ He took a deep breath. _Okay…no big deal. Just get back to the others, and watch your six-back. Gosh, I should've stopped listening to Jack a long time ago._

But Daniel didn't have time to execute his plan before two more jaffa rounded the far corner, coming from the other direction. Both stopped when they saw him, and he stared at them in return. Only when one of them shouted "Intruder!" and went to raise his staff weapon did the archaeologist snap out of it.

"Oh crap!" Daniel yelped, ducking back into the large circular room before a blast bolt struck the wall where he'd been. _That_ was when he realized that the crates that had been scattered around the room were missing. _What the-?_ But he had no more time to think, with jaffa on his tail. He sprinted across the room, hoping that he could open a door on the other side and close it behind him to escape, when one of them opened for him. But on the other side were more jaffa, staff weapons and Zat'ni'katels ready.

Daniel skidded to a halt, his eyes widening, but it was too late to run in a different direction. He could already see the blue tendrils of energy lancing his way. A split second later one of them hit home, ripping a cry of pain from Daniel's throat as he went down. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.


	14. Paths Cross

Okay, just so you people know, we're going to visit family for a couplr weks, so I may or may not get a chance to get another chapter done during that time. If I don't, I'm really sorry and I'll get another chapter up ASAP once I get back, but if you don't hear from me for a couplr weeks, don't panic. I'll be back, and I'll finish the story so please keep reading and reviewing. So, please enjoy this chapter and please review so I know what ya think so I know to continue...

Chapter 14

When Daniel came to, an acute sense of déjà vu washed over him when he realized that he was being dragged by two jaffa down a corridor that was all-too familiar. For a moment he thought about letting them know he was awake, but then decided that that might not be such a good idea, and left his body limp. Maybe he would learn more of what was going on if they still thought he was unconscious. He was rewarded when, a moment later, one of the jaffa spoke.

"I still do not understand how he could have escaped. There were guards walking past the cell regularly. And you would think we would have heard if one of the prisoners had escaped before we found him."

_Escaped? _Daniel thought in confusion. _What does he mean by that? I didn't escape from anywhere. I haven't been here…recently. _That was when a sudden realization struck him. _Have I been thrown backwards in time? That's the only explanation. There must be prisoners here and they think I'm one that escaped. _

Daniel felt one side of his body move up a few centimeters and then down again as the other jaffa shrugged. "That will be for the guards in that section to answer for. For now, we must simply bring this one to our lord."

_Oh perfect, there's a Goa'uld here. Or is this backwards in time? Could I have gone forwards? Could this be a minor Goa'uld in hiding here from the Ori, or us, in the future? Maybe even Baal? _A small smile crept onto Daniel's face at the thought of Baal in hiding on some backwater planet like this one. But he wouldn't know until he saw the Goa'uld he was being brought to. He hadn't had a chance to look at the symbol on the jaffa's foreheads yet.

Moments later a door opened, and the jaffa dragged him through it. Daniel had recognized the route, and as the two men dropped him on the floor he felt a brief flash of panic when he realized where he was. It faded as he grunted, landing on his hands and knees instead of falling all the way to let them know now that he was, in fact, awake, but his mind was still in turmoil over his location.

_It's the same room, _Daniel thought in despair. _The same room where Amaunet…_He terminated the thought there, before it could continue, before it could lead to the memories of the last time he had been here. Images flashed through his mind unbidden, and he grimaced, still staring at the floor. He was almost grateful when one of the jaffa spoke, interrupting his thoughts.

"My Lady, we found this Tau'ri in the experiment room," the young jaffa reported.

My Lady. So it was a female Goa'uld, then. If this was some point in the past, it had better not be Nirti. She had almost killed Sam and Jonas, not to mention what she had done to Cassandra. Daniel felt his jaw clench, and had almost worked up enough courage to look up when he heard its voice. The voice briefly commended the jaffa for bringing him straight to her. That was it at first, and then he heard her moving toward him, but what had heard was enough make his jaw go slack again.

Normally, the voices of most Goa'uld were indistinguishable from one another, being so similar, but Daniel had heard this one enough to recognize it immediately, remembered the voice of its host to be so different…

_No. No, it can't be…_

Then she was close enough that he could see her feet without having to look up, and recognized them, the robes that hung around them…Daniel kept his eyes on the ground, his breath quickening. If he was right, he couldn't look at her. She would recognize him. That wouldn't be good.

"Let us see who we have here," the voice said, closer now.

_Please, please be my imagination, please let me be wrong, _he begged silently, clenching his eyes shut.

But seconds later he felt fingers capped with the metal of a hand device touch his chin, jerk his head upwards so she could look at him. Unwillingly Daniel opened his eyes…and found himself staring into the face of his wife, who he hadn't seen in almost six years. He couldn't even visit her grave anymore, because the Abydos pyramid and Stargate had been destroyed. Her eyes widened for a split second when she saw his face, but she quickly controlled and suppressed the action. And she simply studied him for a moment while he stared at her in return, open-mouthed, his eyes filling with tears.

"Sha're…" Daniel finally whispered, breaking the silence. It also broke the moment, his moment of hope that maybe it was his wife looking at him. Amaunet frowned and straightened again, sharply letting go of his face.

"If you are who you appear to be, you will know that I am not her," Amaunet said coldly, and his hopes crashed to the ground as they had so many times when he had been here last over six years ago.

Daniel couldn't respond. So many feelings were mixing with each other in his heart that he couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry or recoil in horror. The body was Sha're's, but again he was forced to see her under Amaunet's control. He'd thought it was part of the past, something he could deal with, but now that she was there again, right in front of him, he couldn't seem to control his emotions. He kept his mouth tightly shut; he didn't know what would happen if he tried to open it again.

One of the jaffa was speaking again. "But, my queen, I don't understand. Isn't he one of the prisoners-"

"No," Amaunet interrupted. "He looks like the other one, but his clothing is not the same, and he looks different--older perhaps." She looked down at him again. "That is what it is, is it not? You came through the device. It is operational in the future."

_Good guess,_ Daniel thought blankly. But he didn't answer. The rest of his thought were elsewhere; his head was spinning at he stared at her. He was in the past. Sha're was here. Maybe…maybe now he could make things right. If he could just find a way to get her through the Stargate to Earth, return her to his younger self and the Tok'ra would free her and then his future would be--NO! He couldn't do that. He couldn't change the timeline just to suit his needs. It wouldn't be right. He had probably changed too much already just by being here, by Amaunet seeing him.

That was another reason he couldn't say anything to her. He couldn't let her know how he gotten here. She could speculate that he had used the Goa'uld device all she wanted, but he would never confirm it. Not that he really knew how it ad happened, exactly, in the first place, so simply saying he didn't know how he had gotten here wouldn't really be a lie…

Daniel's thoughts were interrupted when one of the jaffa behind him gave him a kick in the kidneys for his lack of an answer. The archaeologist cried out and fell forward, catching himself with his elbows. Sucking in a deep breath, after a moment he glanced up at Amaunet, the unshed tears still shimmering in his eyes. She saw them, and smiled the arrogant smile of the Goa'uld Daniel remembered hating so much.

"Yes, you know much that could be of use me, I think," she said as the jaffa pulled him up, held his arms, made him keep looking at her. "You know of the time device. You know of the future. Granted, it angers me that at this point you still exist in the future, Daniel Jackson, but once I have what I want from you that will change." Her smile faded. "Now…what can you tell me of the device in future? How far in the future do you come from?"

Daniel remained silent. Anything he said could change something, any knowledge he gave her, and that moment reminding himself that he couldn't tell her anything about the future was the only thing that kept him from breaking down.

At his silence, Amaunet frowned, and suddenly her left hand snapped forward, caught Daniel in the burning grip of the hand device. He gasped as the familiar pain flooded his body again.

"No," Daniel said, finally speaking again. "Sha're don't. Don't do this, please, not…not again," he gasped. He was only rewarded with more pain as the beam intensified.

Amaunet smiled again as he cried out. "So you are from the future. You remember this time--what happened here. Tell me how you escaped. It must be prevented."

Daniel only gave a minute shake of his head as he grimaced in pain, and her frown returned.

"You cannot resist forever. Both you and your former self will learn this," she said angrily.

_My former self…? _He started to wonder, but the energy from the hand device increased again, forcing a shout from his throat. Daniel tried to keep his thoughts, but the pain was too much now. He began to drown in it, the familiar yet unwelcome sensation of being able to feel nothing but the searing pain of the hand device. In the back of his mind, the only thought still intact pounded in his head.

_How can this be happening? How can I be re-living this nightmare like this? This can't be happening…Someone tell me this isn't real… It can't be…Please…

* * *

_

Sam sighed in relief when she saw Daniel walk back into the cell under his own power--well, more like be pushed in, but at least he was on his feet. Jackson stumbled in and straightened, and the door closed behind him. He seemed all right, but he looked frustrated. She didn't blame him.

"Daniel, you okay?" she asked, standing.

He looked in her direction as she approached him, and shrugged. "Physically, perfectly fine. After all, I just came out of a sarcophagus, but other that, well…" He sighed, "You know how it is."

"Yeah," Carter sighed in return. "Is there something else?"

"It's just…well, she didn't show up when they brought me to the sarcophagus this time; they said she was 'occupied', whatever that means" Daniel admitted, frowning. "I was hoping to see her again. I was hoping…" But he didn't have to finish the thought for her to know what he meant. She touched his shoulder.

"Hey, you got through to her once," Sam offered comfortingly. "Now you know you can, that she can get out sometimes. I'm sure you'll see her again. We'll get out of this, okay? With Sha're if at all possible."

Finally Daniel smiled at her. "Thanks." Then he rubbed his arms. "Is it just me, or is it cold in here?"

Carter raised an eyebrow "It's just you. You think it has something to do with the fact that you have two staff-blast-sized holes in your shirt?"

To Sam's relief, he gave a small laugh. It was a welcome sound after everything he had been through in the past day or so, even if it was a small one. "Yeah, I guess it probably does," he answered as he moved off to the back corner of the room to snatch up his jacket and put it on. Once he'd zipped it up he put his glasses back on too, and sat down heavily. Carter went to sit beside him.

"So what now?" Daniel asked quietly.

Sam opened her mouth to reply, but snapped it shut again when they heard footsteps. She sat up, looking toward the door. "That's what I want to know," she frowned.

A moment later the door to the cell opened again, but this time instead of herding Daniel out, the two jaffa dragged someone else in. They dropped the black-clad figure on the ground; he landed face down, his face hidden in his arms, and groaned. One of the jaffa snorted in disdain, and then both retreated again.

As the door closed, both Sam and Daniel stood. Carter's frown deepened when she realized that the man's clothing was an exact match to theirs but for the color. Half a dozen reasons why ran through her mind at once, and she didn't like most of them. Sighing, she stepped to his side and bent down, Daniel close behind her.

Their fellow prisoner was still moaning off and on, breathing heavily, and Carter was pretty sure she could guess what had been done to him before he had been brought here. She grimaced at the memory of the ribbon device, then reached out and put a hand on the newcomer's shoulder and started to roll him onto his back.

"Hey, you okay--Whoa!" Sam shouted and jumped back when she saw his face--it was Daniel's. She fell backward, and would have landed hard on the floor if Daniel hadn't still been standing and caught her. She looked up at him, saw the shocked look on his face, and gulped. "Thanks."

Daniel only nodded absently, his eye still staring warily at the man on the floor. Sam returned her attention there as well, gulped again, and knelt beside him. He had been startled by her outburst and was now focusing on her through glasses and groggy eyes, pure confusion on his face as his breathing slowed.

"Sam?" he ventured hesitantly.

Carter nodded slowly. "Daniel?"

"Yeah…" he nodded in return, even more slowly that she had as he winced, trying to sit up. Sam put a hand on his back and helped him right himself. Once in a sitting position, he looked back on forth between Carter and his twin standing behind her. He raised an eyebrow at the latter.

"Daniel Jackson, I presume?"

Daniel nodded, crossing his arms. "Yep."

The one on the floor nodded. "Nice to meet you. Me too."

Sam looked back and forth between them. "Uhm…I'm confused."

"Join the club," both Daniels said together.


	15. Baffled Jacksons

Okay, I'm back from my trip now! Sorry it's been, like, over two weeks since I've updated, but family comes first you, know. Okay, second after God, Jesus, your Christian walk, etc-but anyhow, here I go with the rest. Updatesshould come faster now as summer is here and I won't go on anymore trips soon and such, so please enjoy this new chapter and please review so I know what you think and to continue! Thanks!

Chapter 15

Samantha Carter continued to look back and forth between the two Daniels—the one standing beside her, and the slightly different one sitting on the floor in front of her. Their voices were still ringing in her ears, Daniel voice twice, "join the club." It might have been funny if she still weren't so shocked. Finally, she managed to clear her throat and say something intelligible.

"Okay, so…you're Daniel, but…where are you _from_?"

The other Daniel looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then responded. "Uhhm…the future…" he answered carefully.

Her own Daniel's eyebrows went up. "Ah. Thought so. You do look obviously older."

His counterpart shot him a withering look. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." Then he rolled his eyes. "To think that came from myself."

Sam brought up her hands. "Okay! No arguing! We need to straighten this out. Okay, so…the future?"

Their newest cell mate nodded. "Right. Though…I probably shouldn't tell you how far in the future."

Carter nodded back. "Right. You shouldn't, and nothing about any other part of the future either." She looked up at the younger Daniel, who looked like he was about to protest. "No matter how much we may want to know something," she quickly added.

Daniel's mouth snapped shut again, but the hopefulness mixed with pain that had appeared in his eyes didn't go away. The Daniel on the floor looked up at him, and she could see a similar pain reflected in his eyes, and something seemed to pass between the two. This Daniel seemed to have changed, but she supposed some things always stayed the same. Sam couldn't keep herself from wondering the same thing she knew her Daniel was worrying about…What had happened to Sha're in the future?

Finally the younger Daniel broke the silence, shifting uncomfortably. "Okay, so I guess that means he shouldn't tell us how he got here, either."

The other sighed. "No problem there; I'm not really sure 'I' know how I got here. There was just some crazy device, a big flash of light, and…I'm here." He frowned, "That's been happening way to often lately." Then he sighed again and let his chin drop to his chest. His hands came up to cover his face, and he rubbed his forehead absently. Sam thought she heard a faint moan.

Sam and Daniel glanced at each other for a moment, but soon he looked away, staring at the floor.

"Daniel?" Carter questioned quietly.

"What?" both replied, looking up at her.

Sam grimaced. "Okay…I can see right now that we're going to have a problem with this." She looked at both of them. "One of you is going to have to be something else."

"Like what?" her Daniel asked.

Carter shrugged. "I don't know…Danny?"

Neither looked happy with that, but after a moment of staring at each other finally the one standing shrugged, sighing heavily. "Fine. I'll be Danny. I'm the younger one of us, after all." He seemed happy with that part of it, anyway, and purposely ignored the new glare his twin cast in his direction, obviously hiding a smile. Sam had to smother her own before it led to a giggle.

"All right. I guess that will work," she agreed. Then she looked at the newcomer, and took a deep breath. "Daniel…you didn't answer my first question: Are you okay?"

His eyebrows went up. "Me? Oh I'm…fine, just…." He winced, and one of his hands went to his forehead again.

"Hand device?" the other Jackson asked.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Then you saw her…"Danny gulped, inquiring.

Suddenly the older Daniel seemed even older, his expression pain. "I did. But I don't…I don't want to…to talk about it. It's just…so hard to see her like that again…" He broke off, gulping back tears, and Sam put a hand on his arm.

"It's okay. I know this must be really hard for you…both of you, and I'm so sorry this happened…" She looked at her own Danny. "That we ended up here in the first place, what you've been through…" Then she looked down at the future Daniel again. "And that you're having to re-live this. But we have to…" She paused, wondering what she should say, next, what she _could_ say. "We have stay positive, and…if we all just work together, we can get out of this, and hopefully get Sha're out of here too. Okay?"

Danny nodded, looking hopeful, but Daniel sucked in a sharp breath at her comment. Carter looked at him, but he quickly looked away in the Daniel Jackson version of 'no comment'. She sighed. At least the Daniel Jackson of the future seemed to pay more attention to her scientific advice. The Daniel she knew now would have told his past self what had happened to his wife by now. In fact, she had o doubt that if he had the chance, he would go back and tell himself of what would happen to her before she had even been taken. But he couldn't do that, and this Daniel knew it. Her only regret of that fact was the pain she could see in his eyes caused by it.

"Come on," she said quietly, slipping an arm under one of his. "Let me help you up."

"Sam, you don't have to-I mean, I'm not exactly—"

"Stop," she interrupted, holding up a hand. Then she dropped it and smiled at him. "Just because I won't know this you for a few years doesn't mean you're not my friend, Daniel. Let's get that straight right now."

"She's right, you know," Danny agreed. "Besides, we all have to help each other if we're going to get back to our respective homes."

Daniel sighed. "Right. I'm sorry; I'm still a little confused. I mean, I just got thrown several years into the past, run into you and myself, and then, well…" He looked at his counterpart, "…you know."

"We know," Sam assured softly, as her Daniel nodded. Then she retook her loosened hold on his arm, and pulled up. Danny joined in to help, taking his other arm as they guided him to the bench they had been sitting on minutes before. He had to admit, though, that it did feel a bit strange to be literally helping himself around. It seemed his future self felt the same way, as he fumbled through his thanks once Danny and Sam had set him down and sat down them selves, still on either side of him.

"Thanks…. I, uh, probably could've gotten up on my own, but, right now everything's kind of crazy, and I just…Well, thanks," he sighed.

"No problem," Sam replied.

"So what now?" Danny asked. "We have to do something. We know alternate universe counterparts can't stay in the same place for more than a few days before it puts them in danger. We have no idea when it comes to time travel like this." He glanced at his older self, but Daniel shrugged as well, signaling that he didn't know any more than they did on the subject.

With that established, both Jacksons turned to Carter expectantly. She felt her stomach tighten minutely. _Okay…no pressure……Good grief, who am I kidding? I'd really rather Daniel not have to go through what Dr. Carter and I had to go through when she had been in our reality too long; goodness knows Entropy Cascade Failure isn't pleasant. But it was bad enough to just have me and another version of myself counting on me—now I have two Daniels depending on me to fix this. Perfect. Bring on the nervous breakdown._

Sam took a deep breath. "Well…obviously we have to get out of here first, and…Okay, with three of us we'd have a better chance of storming the guards the next time they come—what?"

Daniel was shaking his head. "I wouldn't. It didn't work so great the first time—"

"Daniel—"

"Hey, as long as I don't tell you anything that could change any major events I'm aloud to save us all any unnecessary pain, aren't I?" he asked heatedly.

Carter sighed. "Fine. Sorry. I'd just really hate to majorly screw something up…"

"Yeah, I know. You haven't changed in the future," Daniel smiled.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You say that almost like it's a bad thing."

"Okay," Danny butted in. "If we can't rush the guards, what can we do?"

His question was directed at his older self, and it quieted Daniel as he thought about it. Finally he shrugged. "I got nothin'," he admitted.

Sam hid a smile, and Danny made a face. "Oh, please don't tell me I start acting like Jack."

Daniel looked honestly confused. "What? Why would you ask that?"

"You just said 'I got nothin'.'"

"What, that? Oh come on, we've all picked up a few of his phrases by now—I mean by my time. Whatever. But it doesn't mean any of us start acting like him."

"Thank goodness," the younger Daniel sighed, and his counterpart laughed slightly.

"Seriously."

Carter couldn't restrain her giggle, and both Daniel's turned to look at her again. "What?" they asked together.

At that she laughed again. They kept their gaze on her until she stopped and answered them. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to decide if this is more fun for me or for the… uhm…two of you."

"Ah," Daniel replied simply. But Danny's face fell abruptly.

"This isn't fun, Sam," he said quietly, the sadness in his voice rudely jerking all of them back to the seriousness of the problems at hand—namely the one that was closest to the heart of the two Jacksons. "I'm so worried about Sha're right now…"

"Worried?" Sam asked curiously as Daniel frowned now as well.

"Yeah. Remember I told you she was able to take control for a few minutes?" Sam nodded, and then he continued, looking back and forth between her and his future self. "Well…what if…if a Goa'uld can do something to punish their host if they don't cooperate, if they do something like that. Not physically, but…you know. I don't know. I'm probably just being paranoid, but I just don't want her to suffer any more than she already is by being a host in the first place, on my account."

Now Carter was frowning. "No, I see where you're coming from. I even understand why you might think that," she said slowly, careful of her friend's feelings. "I mean…Jolinar never would have hurt me, but the way it was, the way I perceived things in there while she had control of my body; the way it worked…I suppose she could have. How, exactly, I don't know, but…" She trailed off when she saw both Daniels go pale, though there was more of a resigned look on the older one's face; she remembered that he had probably heard this before.

Sam sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to scare you or make you worry even more, but I'm not going to lie to you," she finished quickly, apologetically.

"It's okay; I understand," Danny nodded. "Thanks. I…guess you're the closest thing we have to an expert in here." But then he turned his gaze on Daniel, who looked back at him for a moment, struggling to keep his face from betraying anything.

"I don't know," Daniel finally shrugged. At his younger self's skeptical expression, he quickly added more. He remembered how he had been then, trusting everyone but himself; he couldn't blame him for not believing him immediately. "If I knew enough to tell you that she was all right now, I would tell you that, but I don't know. I promise. I don't know any more about how it works than either of you do."

The younger Daniel seemed to accept that and stood, sighing. "Okay."

"What are you doing?" Sam asked when he headed toward the other side of the room.

"It doesn't look like we're getting anywhere fast at this point, so if you don't mind I'm going to try and get some sleep," Danny replied, lowering himself to the opposite bench. "Maybe I just came out of a sarcophagus, but it didn't help with the exhaustion any."

"First or second time?" Daniel asked suddenly, and then mentally kicked himself. If this was just after they had been brought here, just after the first time he had been put in the sarcophagus, then he had just given away something rather big. He heaved an inward sigh of relief when he heard the somewhat flustered reply to his question.

"What? Oh, um…second time," his counterpart answered, grimacing.

Daniel winced in return. "Sorry. I was just trying to pin down exactly, uhm, _when_ I am."

"It's fine," Danny answered, sliding down to lie on the bench.

"We've been here almost thirty-six hours," Carter supplied.

"Thanks." _Okay, then that means we'll hopefully get of here in…two…three days? Or was it just one more? _He remembered painfully well what had happened here, and much of it in excruciating detail—detail he wished he _didn't_ remember. But most of the physical torture in itself was a blur even years later, which left his sense of how long they had been here useless. He had never cared to ask, but now he wished he had. He had no way of knowing enough to make absolutely sure nothing important was changed-like the day they were rescued, or escaped, or whatever.

_But even once we get out of here, there's still the problem of figuring out how to get back to the future…_Daniel suppressed a smile. Back to the Future…didn't that scientist who had gone to Atlantis—lucky nerd—McKay, the one who had driven Sam up the wall right up to the moment he'd left for the Pegasus Galaxy…didn't he hate those movies? Why had it been again? Something about the science being unsound and his 'superior intellect' seeing right through the plethora of scientific mistakes and plot holes…Never mind.

Carter's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hey, are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should get some sleep too. I know I'm going to," she said, rubbing her forehead.

"What? No. No, I'm fine. It was still morning when I got tossed back here, so my body's probably on something like mid-afternoon," he answered. But then he found himself yawning, and saw a small smile spreading over Sam's face. "But then again that hand device can wear a person out," he amended. Carter grimaced, nodding in agreement. "Right…Okay, fine; we all get some rest, then. I guess I can't argue with that."

"Good," Carter said, scooting over to the back bench and laying down herself. "I'm exhausted too."

Daniel sighed and lay back, lacing his arms behind his head. Once he had his tired nerves and muscles, worn out and frazzled from the lasting effects of the ribbon device, began to tell him that he too, did indeed need sleep.

Across the room, the Daniel of this time also closed his eyes. His body had been healed, so the tiredness was more emotional than physical. He was exhausted from the ordeal of the pain he had been subjected to from the staff blast wound for several hours, and the added emotional stress of seeing Sha're again only to lose her once more, but he didn't need the sleep any less.

Both Daniel Jacksons drifted toward sleep, both exhausted, both agonizing over Sha're, both wishing for this to be over, or that it was only a nightmare…and both still trying to rid themselves of the rather strange feeling that came with having another of yourself around.


	16. Turn For the Worse

As I said, updates are coming faster now! I'm so happy that I have more time now. Anyway, so please enjoy chapter 16 and _please_ review, so I know what you're thinking of the story, of this chapter, etc.

Chapter 16

It was the planet where Sha're had died. Daniel knew that much. He didn't know how he had gotten here.

A battle raged around him, jaffa and SGC personnel clashing. He didn't realize it was the same battle from his memory until he had run up the hill and pushed through the opening into the decorated royal tent of the presiding Goa'uld. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of Sha're--no, Amaunet, inside.

Out of reflex, his gun came up. It was all wrong. This time instead of a handgun he carried the larger, more powerful P-90 that he had grown accustomed to over the years, the same gun the military members of SG-1 had always carried from the start. His BDUs were black, not green. Amaunet's robes were blue, not the tan and orange he remembered.

Amaunet's eyes began to glow and her left hand lifted, adorned in the ever-present Goa'uld ribbon device.

"Don't!" Daniel shouted, holding the gun higher but afraid to shoot. He didn't want to hurt Sha're. Amaunet smirked at him; her hand drew up and back. _Shoot, you idiot! Shoot Amaunet now or Sha're will die later! You just have to injure her, stop her…_a frantic thought in the back of his mind pushed.

_But I don't want to hurt her,_ the other side of his mind whimpered again. But now it was too late.

The ribbon device activated; Amaunet's hand shot forward and caught him in its beam. Daniel gasped and sank to his knees. The gun fell from his hands, clattered to the ground beside him. It was all so familiar, painfully familiar but different. The worst day of his life all over again--almost.

"Sha're…"

The all-too-familiar paralyzing, burning pain flooded his body. He was helpless, only able to stare up at his wife's face, her features twisted in an evil sneer of victory not her own.

And then there was Teal'c. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the larger man sweep into the tent, raise his staff weapon…No! Daniel wanted to shout. Teal'c, wait! Don't shoot yet! Go back outside; find a zat gun! Don't kill her! DON'T KILL HER AGAIN!

But the hand device had stolen his voice, like those dreams where one was desperately trying call for help but couldn't no matter they did. _No. No, not again. I don't want to see this again. I don't want to see her die…_

But the staff blast came, and took a shocked Amaunet in the chest. The ribbon device snapped off and she fell, flung backwards by the force of the blast. But this time, unlike the first, Daniel was able to gather enough strength to scream her name as she went down. This time, instead of lying helplessly beside her where he had landed himself, he pushed off the floor and rushed forward, shaking off the effects of the hand device, and knelt next to her.

The yellow-white glow in her eyes was gone. Amaunet was already dead. Sha're was dying. Trembling, Daniel stroked her hair. His wife looked up at him, love and sorrow in her eyes at once.

"I love you Dan'iel," she whispered. Her last words. Seconds later her eyes drifted shut, and Daniel's head dropped in anguish.

"I love you, too," he whispered in return. The ever-present thought that had been at the back of his mind for six years re-surfaced, plunging him into misery once again.

_I couldn't save her.

* * *

_

The current members and future member of SG-1 had thought it late enough that they could sleep un-bothered, but apparently they had been wrong. When Daniel was shaken from his nightmare by Samantha Carter, he immediately recognized the distinct sound of jaffa boots coming their way. And was it just him, or was the sound louder than he remembered? A larger number of jaffa, perhaps? But why? _There are more than two people in this cell this time,_ something told him.

Daniel sat up and glanced over at his younger self, who was already standing and alert, with Carter not far away. Danny shrugged at him, indicating he didn't know anything more bout what was going on, but he looked apprehensive, even nervous. Of course, Daniel knew that inside the younger Jackson was scared stiff. He remembered what that sound had done to him when he was here--his throat tightened--how it was still making him feel right now.

It was almost as bad as how the dream had affected him. He could still feel the lingering grief of Sha're's death hanging over his head again. He hadn't dreamed about it in years. Even with the recent streak of nightmares, they hadn't been about that--only about what had happened here. Daniel gulped past the lump in his throat. No. Now wasn't the time to worry about past mistakes and disasters. He refused to let his emotions control him; goodness knew he'd let them do it enough in the past.

A moment later, six jaffa rounded the corner and came into sight. Both Daniels drew in a breath when they saw that Amaunet was with them. Carter looked a bit taken aback as well, remembering the last time the Goa'uld had come into their cell. All wondered why so many jaffa had come with her, and what she planned to do with them.

This time, she didn't enter the cell, but six of the jaffa did. After the door had slid out of the way, two approached each occupant of the cell and seized their arms. Each struggled, clearly not wanting to find out the reason for the use of this strange tactic.

The two how grabbed Daniel pulled him our of the holding room and stopped beside Amaunet and the remaining jaffa. The ones who took hold of Sam tugged her to the side of the cell held her there, while the jaffa who had Danny pushed him to the center room and stopped. That was when a seventh jaffa came into view at what must have been a silent command from his queen, and the humans' silent queries were at least partially answered. This one carried what looked like a long, black metal bar, a cuffed chain, and a couple of torture sticks. It didn't help to ease their minds any.

The newcomer stepped into the cell with his load, and suddenly the younger Daniel Jackson realized that he was the center of attention of all their enemies. He didn't like it one bit. Danny started to struggle again, but the two jaffa on his arms forced him to his knees and prevented him from moving as the lone jaffa set down his load and picked up the bar and chain.

"W-what are you doing?" Carter stammered from where she stood, her own two jaffa holding her firmly in place. One of them jostled her, harshly telling her to shut up. She watched, not knowing what else to do at the moment, as the jaffa with the bar and chain took the bar and held the bar horizontally against her Daniel's back, looping his elbows over it, and then used the foot-long chain across the front of his body to cuff his hands. This left the metal bar braced firmly against Jackson's back, pinned by his bent arms, and rendered his arms immobile and useless.

Something pushed at the back of Sam's mind, telling her position was familiar, that they used this binding technique on their prisoners often. Then the jaffa picked up one of the torture sticks, and something flashed through her mind, a memory of being bound that way, on her knees, agonizing energy she'd never felt before running through her body as the business end of a torture stick dug into the back of her neck….She gasped as the image disappeared as quickly as it had come--not her memory. Jolinar's? It had to be. And it wasn't pleasant.

Carter's stomach flip-flopped when the jaffa handed the torture stick to one of the men holding her, but the one who took it made no move to use it on her. Instead, the jaffa who had handed it off in the first place moved back to Danny and picked up the other one. Amaunet watched passively from the large doorway, as if she had known that this would happen when she and her jaffa had arrived--and of course she had known. Who else would have ordered it?

The older Daniel, still being held just outside the doorway, looked a bit frightened, though he didn't say anything and she couldn't decide if the stricken look on his face said that he had known this would take place and was shaken to it repeating, or if he was worried because it hadn't happened this way the first time. All Sam knew was that the lone jaffa near the kneeling, chained Daniel looked ready to use the torture stick he was holding as he moved behind the young scientist, and that none of the humans--especially Danny himself, whose breath was visibly quickening in fear--wanted that to happen.

"Don't!" Carter finally exclaimed. _That_ did earn her a jab from the torture stick. For a brief second or two the charged end stuck into her side, and she shouted in pain, her legs buckling out of both surprise and pain, sending her down onto the bench behind her.

"No!" both Daniels yelled simultaneously, pulling against their bonds, whether jaffa hands or metal.

The silence broken, Amaunet smiled as the jaffa with Sam roughly pulled her back to her feet. The major blinked hard and shook her head a couple of times, trying to shake it off. It took a moment to succeed, and the two Jacksons watch in concern, wanting to be sure she was alright. She nodded at them that she was, and they seemed to relax someone, though Danny was still worried about what they planned to do to _him. _She didn't blame him. She was worried for him too, but didn't say anything else at the moment, gulping.

Amaunet then spoke to the five jaffa inside the cell. "Continue to interrogate this one," she nodded towards Danny, "and the woman if necessary."

"Oh no you don't," Daniel said vehemently from in between the two jaffa next to her.

"Don't you dare let them hurt Sam," Danny growled from his knees.

At a glare from the Goa'uld, one of the guards restraining Daniel punched him harshly in the stomach, and the one behind Danny frowned and shoved the end of the torture stick he held into the back of Jackson's neck. Daniel grunted, and his legs went slack for a moment before he straightened again, grimacing as his younger self shouted from the energy that suddenly shot through his body. Carter gasped, though she was grateful at least that the jaffa only held the device there for a couple of seconds before pulling it away.

At the various exclamations of pain or surprise from the three humans, Amaunet smirked again. "I will be questioning our time-traveling visitor," she said shortly, and then turned on her heel and walked out of site. The two jaffa on Daniel's arms herded him after her. He tried to resist, but it only earned him another couple of punches to his midsection to urge him to keep moving. Gasping and stumbling forward, he grudgingly obeyed, but not before he cast a sympathetic glance over his shoulder at his former self and the former self of his friend. Then they disappeared, the door closed, and Sam and the younger Daniel were left with five jaffa who seemed more than ready and willing to follow Amaunet's orders. Both younger humans gulped hard.

The jaffa directly behind Daniel sneered--seriously, Sam thought, jaffa must have sneering contests--and hefted the torture stick, letting the point drift back behind Daniel's neck. Carter sucked in a breath. Jackson heard the movement as well as her reaction and paled.

_Oh no…_Daniel thought frantically. Sure, they had used the device on him enough the past couple of days, but usually it was only through the chains. Only the last time, just before the attack by Heru-er, and then a few seconds ago, had they put it in direction contact with his body, and it hurt quite a bit more no matter much he hadn't thought that was possible.

He could sense the business end of the torture stick coming closer and he ducked forward, desperately trying to avoid it, but with the bar and chain keeping his arms immobile in a rather uncomfortable position and the two jaffa who had grabbed him initially standing on either side of him, he couldn't escape. The guard behind him simply thrust the torture stick forward farther, and caught his skin. Burning agony flooded Daniel's body, and this time it didn't stop after a few seconds. He screamed and his back arched, bringing his upper body back up. That only served to dig the cold metal point that was relaying the energy into his body more sharply into his neck.

The torture continued, with the jaffa barely giving Jackson a chance to say anything when they stopped to ask questions because they knew he wouldn't answer anyway, and Carter watched helplessly. There was nothing she could do. They were trapped in this room with these jaffa, and even if she managed to stop them momentarily, they would only start again, and then probably on both of them. There was no way she and Daniel could take five jaffa even if she could get him freed--not without any weapons, anyway. She wanted to scream at them to stop, but it wouldn't do either of them any good; only make matters worse for them both. She knew he wouldn't want that, and so remained silent, as hard as it was.

Sam bit her lip and blinked back tears as Daniel screamed, wondering if she had ever felt so horrible.

_I'm sorry, Danny. I'm so sorry. _


	17. I Have to See Her

Enjoy this next chapter! It's a nice, extra-long one, so I hope you like it. :) Please review. Most of you people haven't been reviewing the last couple chapters, and I really do need to know what you think, so please drop a line--or more!--and let me know. Thanks again!

Chapter 17

Meanwhile, the older Daniel was still being guided down the corridor by the two jaffa who had not remained in the holding room. Amaunet had been behind them at first, but had soon swept ahead. Daniel had felt her more than seen her move. He had been too busy nursing his offended stomach. It had taken a few moments to be able to straighten again without wishing he hadn't, and even now as he continued on behind the Goa'uld in front of him, one hand still hovered over his bruised middle.

The group passed the interrogation room generally used here in his experience--both past and present--and he frowned, wondering where Amaunet could be taking him now. Another few moments later it became clear to him when the Goa'uld entered the large room that housed the device that had accidentally brought him here, and the jaffa pushed him in after her. Grimacing in pain, he complied, though not happily.

Daniel looked to Amaunet, felt the confusion of emotions rising again like before, and forced himself to stifle them before they got out of control. He had a situation to handle.

"What are we doing here?" Daniel asked, putting on the most innocent face he could muster.

Amaunet looked at the device, and then looked at him, smiling. "This is the device that brought you here, is it not?"

"Why would you say that?" he said defensively.

"You were found here."

"No I wasn't. Actually, I was found down the corridor. Your jaffa followed me in here."

Amaunet glared at him, and one of the jaffa slammed the but of his staff weapon into the back of Daniel's legs, bringing him down with a loud grunt. Pulling in another breath at the pain in his legs and sore stomach, Daniel felt a lump forming in his throat again. He gulped it back mercilessly.

"Do not correct me," the Goa'uld hissed. "Yes, you were initially found in the corridor, but immediately came back here when chased. Why else would you have done that if you had not gotten here through this device in the first place?"

Daniel shrugged. "It was a door, and it was open," he replied nonchalantly, resorting to humor to distract himself from the tangle of feelings within.

"So you are telling me you did not arrive here using it?" Daniel remained silent, and Amaunet frowned. "Then how are you here? We already know you are from the future. You cannot hide that. Tell me how got here."

"I don't know how I got here," Daniel calmly answered in truth.

But she glowered at him again. "No. You are lying."

Without warning, a zat blast drilled into Daniel's back. Shouting in pain, he toppled forwards, shaking. Amaunet smirked as he trembled on the floor, gasping. He barely managed to stay conscious until the effects of the shot faded, and when the two jaffa pulled him upright on his knees again he was bleary-eyed, some of the tears having found their way to the surface. He blinked them back as Sha're's metal-capped fingers took his chin in her hand again.

"Now. You _will_ tell me how you traveled here, Daniel Jackson," Amaunet said coldly. "It will not be hard…my host knows everything about you. I will learn what you know."

"I don't think so," Daniel answered quietly, just as firmly. "You couldn't force me to do anything then, and you certainly can't do it now. I'm different from the other man you have here. I've changed. You don't know a thing about me." Part of him hurt to say it, because he knew how true it was, and that if he ever really did see Sha're herself before he got home, she wouldn't be talking to the man she'd known. He was someone different, and not only that but he couldn't stay. No matter what happed here, he couldn't have Sha're back. It was a truth that had nagged at him ever since he'd realized where he was and who was here, what could happen, what he could do…but what he knew he couldn't do. Gosh…he hadn't even seen Sha're yet and already his heart felt like breaking again. Sha're…if he could just talk to the real Sha're…

As it was, Amaunet was especially angry now. Snarling, she drew back and hit him. Daniel gasped slightly in surprise and rocked one way from the force of the blow, his head snapping to the same side, but he refused to cry out. He winced at the stinging pain the back of her ribbon device-covered hand left behind, but then turned his determined gaze on her again. For a moment, just a moment, this threw the Goa'uld off, and her face faltered, but she quickly recovered and took up her superior sneer again. She backed away again.

"We will see, Doctor Jackson," she said simply. At her nod to them, the two jaffa pulled Daniel to his feet. In a split second, he made a decision. _I have to talk to her…_

When he had his footing, he made his move, pulling his arms from the jaffa's grip, and slamming his elbows back into their faces. Turning, he made a grab for one of their zat guns. The guard he tried to take the zat from had recovered enough to retaliate with a couple more punishing blows to Daniel's stomach, but the archaeologist still managed to grab the weapon off the jaffa's belt on the way down.

Daniel landed on the floor with a cry of pain, but managed to push himself far enough up onto one elbow to use his other hand to quickly shoot both jaffa with the zat, effectively knocking them out and getting them out of his way for the moment. Gasping from residual pain, he swept around and aimed the zat at Amaunet, who quickly smothered her shocked expression and opened her mouth to shout for more jaffa.

Daniel cut her off by raised the gun higher. "Call for anyone and I'll shoot." She shut her mouth again, but her eyes narrowed.

Using the wall next to him for support, Daniel pulled himself to his feet again with his free arm, though once up he leaned on the wall and that arm went around his middle as he tried to slow his pained, heavy breathing. But all the while he kept the zat trained on the Goa'uld. He knew what he had to do if he was going to talk to Sha're. He had to fire on her with the zat--the same tactic Jack had used to get to Skaara when Klorel had control of him almost eight years ago. Had it really been that long?

Daniel knew he had to shoot her, but his finger wouldn't move. He kept it aimed at her, but suddenly he couldn't bring himself to fire. He didn't want to hurt Sha're, but he knew he had to do it. There were things he had to tell her…_Shoot, you idiot! _He scolded himself as he flashed back to his dream earlier. He hadn't been able to do it then, or when it had really happened. He hadn't been able to stop Amaunet to save Sha're life because he hadn't wanted to hurt her. But in the end she had been killed. Now, if he was going to see his wife again he had to do what he hadn't been willing to do before. Why had he done what he'd just done? What had made him think he could do it this time?

The lump in his throat came back. Amaunet saw his inner struggle, and the corner of her mouth curled upwards. "You will not hurt me. You care for my host. You won't fire."

Tears stung Daniel's eyes as he fought with himself, but suddenly anger at himself for letting her die the first time took over. Even if this wasn't the same situation, even if her life wasn't at stake here, he wouldn't make the same mistake again.

"You're wrong," Daniel answered her softly, and then pulled the trigger before he could think himself out of it again.

Amaunet went down with a shout, but, as he'd expected, a she hit the floor the Goa'uld's cry pf pain morphed into a human's soft moan. Daniel's eyes widened and he threw the zat away, dropping to her side. Tentatively he touched her face.

"Sha're?"

After a few seconds her eyes opened and she looked up at him groggily. "Dan'iel?"

He nodded, sighing in relief as he gulped back the tears. "Yes." Then his face fell. "Well…sort of…I mean, I'm-"

Sha're reached up to where his hand rested on her cheek and took it in her own. "It's all right. I know you are from the future." Tears began to gather in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Dan'iel. You are going through this again and I cannot stop it…"

Daniel helped her sit up and put his arms around her. "No, Sha're it's not your fault. I'm just happy to see you…" He stopped there, biting his lip. He shouldn't have even said that much; that sentence alone could give clues of the future.

Sha're pulled back and looked at him, saw the sorrow on his face before he pushed it away. "Dan'iel, what is it?"

He shook his head. "Nothing…"

Hoping to comfort him, Sha're leaned forward again to kiss him, but he held up a finger in between their faces. "No," he said quietly.

"Dan'iel?"

Sighing, he pushed a lock of hair from her face. "I'm sorry, but it's…it's not my place. I don't belong here; this isn't my time." He smiled softly, though there was sadness in it. "You belong to my younger self. I just wanted to see you. I had to tell you…" He trailed off, blinking back tears again.

"Tell me what?" She asked gently, her dark eyes searching his blue ones.

Finally Daniel took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "That no matter what happens, I'll always love you," he answered. "I-you know I know what the next several years will be like. I just…I just wanted you to know that before I left; I'll never stop loving you, Sha're."

His voice broke, and she embraced him again, more tightly this time. "I will always love you as well, Dan'iel," she assured him, now gulping back her own tears.

When she pulled back again there was sudden fear in her eyes. "Dan'iel, when Amaunet returns, she will be angry. She will want to hurt you…" she cried urgently.

Daniel gulped and nodded, shushing her. "I know. I know, Sha're, and whatever she does to me, I don't blame you, you hear me? It's not your fault. I chose to do what I did and if she wants to punish me for it I don't care; as long as I could see you," he whispered, kissing her forehead. Then he looked at her again. "But what about you? She can't hurt you, can she?"

At the question, something changed in her eyes and she looked away, as if guilty of something. His brow furrowing in concern at her reaction, he gently touched her chin and tilted her face back up to look at him. "Sha're?"

But he got no farther when suddenly her eyes widened and she shouted a warning.

"Dan'iel, look out-!"

Jackson didn't have time to turn before the zat blast struck him. He didn't even have time to cry out as the pain spiraled him toward unconsciousness. Before he blanked out he saw Sha're's eyes once again glow yellow-white as Amaunet re-took control.

He wasn't out for long, however. Only moments later one of the jaffa who had arrived awakened him with a harsh kick, drawing a yelp of pain from the barely conscious scientist. Daniel tried to pick himself up off the floor, but the jaffa pushed him down again. He glanced toward Amaunet, who sneered at him.

"You will pay dearly for your insolence, human," she informed him, before the squad of jaffa that had come to her rescue descended on him, fists and feet swinging in his direction.

Daniel would have found this newest bout of déjà vu to be funny, but he didn't have a chance to as he shouted from the blows, beginning to drown again in the sea of pain he wished he didn't remember so well.

* * *

Darkness and pain were the only two sensations Daniel was aware of as his consciousness slowly returned. Part of him just wanted to sink into the nothingness again, but awareness pushed itself on him. _What…what happened?_

He shifted, trying to move, but it only sent sharper ribbons of pain shooting through his hurting body and tugged a groan from his throat. The movement did, however, tell Daniel that his wrists were chained to a wall above his head, and that he was sitting on the floor against the wall. The darkness was his closed eyelids, but he didn't dare open them. He didn't know who would be waiting for him to wake.

He remembered Sha're, talking to her, she hadn't answered his last question, then her warning, and then…pain. Daniel shifted again, trying to get a feel for how badly he was hurt, and with the pain it caused came more flashes of memory: The blue flash of the zat blast that had taken him down, the glow of Sha're's eyes under Amaunet's control again, the jaffa crowding him, pushing him to the floor again, beating him down…

That's what had happened. He'd been beaten to a pulp again. He suppressed the sigh that came because he knew it would only hurt; his rib cage hurt the most by far. He wouldn't be surprised if he had several _broken_ ribs this time, time, not to mention the cracked ones.

An insistent foot pushed at his leg, and someone was saying something unintelligible. After a moment his mind had cleared enough to realize it was a jaffa speaking in Goa'uld. The man knew he was awake. Grimacing, Daniel squeezed his eyes more tightly closed and willed unconsciousness to take him again so he wouldn't have to face Amaunet's wrath, which now obviously awaited him. But a few seconds later after he refused to reply a harsh kick to his already severely bruised middle forced his eyes open and a shout from his throat. His reaction was to double over, but the chains stopped him and he fell back against the wall, gasping.

Amaunet smirked from above him. "Welcome back to the land of the conscious, Doctor Jackson."

"Welcome," Daniel rasped. "Yeah, sure."

The jaffa kicked him again for his remark, and seemed take pleasure in his victim's scream and subsequent moaning.

"D-Do you…do you have to…to do that?" Daniel gasped after a minute or so. The jaffa drew back as if to kick him again and he flinched, ducking, desperately not wanting to be hit again as badly as the first two times had hurt his already battered ribs.

"Enough," Amaunet said quickly, stopping the jaffa from kicking Daniel again. The archaeologist would have sighed in relief, but it would have hurt too much. He looked toward her, wondering why she had called the guard off, and saw her approaching him. "Now, Doctor Jackson, shall we try again? How did you get here?"

"Your jaffa beat me up and chained me here; that's how I got here," he replied weakly.

The Goa'uld's smirk stayed in place. "You are still just as smart-elic as your younger self." Then the smirk faded into a frown. "But I do not have time for such nonsense. Now tell me how you came here, and tell me when you are from. Tell me of the future."

"No," Daniel said firmly. "I wouldn't betray my planet then, and I'm not going to betray my future now. You can't change my mind."

"Oh, I believe I can. No one can resist the Goa'uld forever. You will tell me what I want to know eventually. Both of you will." She nodded to someone he couldn't see, and he turned just in time for déjà vu to wash over him yet again as one of the jaffa touched the end of a torture stick to one of the chains that bound him. Amaunet smiled as Daniel cried out, though it didn't last as long as he'd thought it would, and a moment later the device had been pulled away.

Amaunet just looked at him, daring him to defy her. He took the dare.

"You're gonna have to do better than that," he snorted, trying to slow his breathing and ignore the pain from his ribs.

At that, she glared again. She skewered the jaffa next to Daniel with a meaningful glance, and he shoved Daniel's body forward. The scientist grimaced as his wrists pulled on the chains and his arms twisted in the wrong direction. Seconds later the jaffa touched the torture stick to the back of the human's neck, and Daniel started to scream.

* * *

"Okay, I still don't think it was such a great idea to call the Tok'ra. Jacob's great and all, but it's been almost a whole twenty-four hours since they started to help, and we still don't have any leads," Jack O'Neill complained. "I mean, really, what was the point?"

Jack, Teal'c, and Janet Fraiser had just returned from their last search of the day. It was late, and though they would have gladly continued through the night, General Hammond had ordered them all to get some rest. Now the three of them had crashed in the commissary--all eating blue jell-o. They were the only three in the room.

Janet answered him. "They're doing everything they can, colonel. There getting in touch with all the contacts they can, and they have three ships out searching all the planets they can reach quickly."

"Yeah, cargo ships," O'Neill retorted. "Those things are, what, the size of this room, if not smaller?"

"Actually, O'Neill, I believe that they are a bit larger," Teal'c supplied helpfully.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But we've been through, what, fifty planets now?"

"That's where we would be if we'd gone on by ourselves, but with the Tok'ra's help, almost a hundred have been searched," Fraiser answered.

Jack sat back. "All right, all right, so they have helped, but we still haven't found any trace of Carter or Daniel. We still have no idea where they whatsoever!"

Janet sighed. "Well, colonel, if it makes you feel any better, Daniel was just as frustrated as you are when we were looking for you and Sam when you got stuck in Antarctica."

"Ah," O'Neill replied. Then he turned to look at Teal'c "Wait…Daniel was? What about you?"

Teal'c inclined his head. "I was deeply concerned for you, O'Neill, but jaffa are not easily…'frustrated'."

"Uhh…okay," Jack said finally, and then turned back to Fraiser. "Okay, now what?"

"Now we sleep," the doctor replied immediately, gathering up the now empty jell-o cups from her friends and throwing them away.

"Well, actually," O'Neill said as she came back to the table. "I was kinda thinking more along the lines of sneaking out to look for them some more…" At the look on Fraiser's face he stopped. "I'm kidding, doc."

Janet raised an eyebrow. "It had better be."

"Sorry. I tend to do that more when I'm worried," O'Neill admitted, shrugging. "Daniel and carter have been missing without a trace for almost three days, and we don't know if they're hurt, or have been captured, or…" He shrugged again. "Well, yeah. I just hope we find them okay."

Fraiser nodded. "I know what you mean. I do too," she said quietly, but then quickly shifted back into doctor mode. "Now, you, colonel, to bed, now. I'm going too. We both need it. Teal'c-"

"I will kel-no-rim, Doctor Fraiser, as General Hammond has ordered us to rest," Teal'c answered, nodding. "I do not need to be forced to do so, as with some humans at times." A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of the jaffa's mouth as he stood and turned to go.

O'Neill stood as well. "Hey, that was a joke!" he called after Teal'c as he followed his teammate out. "Would you _quit_ catching me off guard with them like that..."

Smiling, Janet shook her head and followed them.

* * *

Eventually Amaunet had grown tired of having the jaffa use the torture stick, and had them unchain him and drag him to her. By then he'd been too exhausted to do much more than moan in protest from the pain of being moved.

And now, Daniel Jackson was trapped. He was trapped on an alien world, brought here against his will, by a means he didn't yet understand. He was trapped in a Goa'uld facility belonging to Apophis, the one person-or thing, or whatever-he hated most in the entire universe. He was trapped in the grip of the two serpent guards that held him between them, wouldn't allow him to move even an inch.

Not that he would have been able to move much if they weren't holding him so tightly that his arms hurt. Because not only was he caught between them, but Daniel was trapped in the clutches of a Goa'uld hand device trained on his aching forehead. Pain racked his entire body so harshly that by all rights he should have been trembling violently, but he couldn't move. He couldn't struggle. His knees had given out long ago from not only the torture, but from weakness from the earlier beating. The two jaffa still held him halfway up, and by now his arms felt as if they didn't let go soon, they would tear from their sockets.

This wasn't right. This wasn't where he was supposed to be. The Goa'uld had been defeated. Except for Baal, they weren't a threat anymore. The Ori were the problem now. There shouldn't have been a Goa'uld doing this to his. This shouldn't have been repeating…

But that wasn't it. No, the worst part of it all was that Daniel was trapped in a nightmare that refused to end. Because the face that loomed before him, not quite in focus anymore because of his blurring vision, was too familiar, too precious to him to be the cause of the agony he was feeling.

But it was reality. He knew his eyes weren't lying, hadn't been lying to him since he had been brought here. And the knowledge brought with it an even more unbearable agony, one that tore at his heart relentlessly, one that showed on his face more clearly than anything else as he stared helplessly up at his tormentor, forcing back one of the loud groans of pain that had issued from his mouth so often in recent hours.

Instead the stricken young archaeologist forced himself to speak, even though it only made the pain worse.

"Sha're…" Daniel gasped once.

But of course she did not reply. Amaunet only frowned and increased the intensity of the orange beam leaping from the ribbon device to his forehead, and Daniel shouted, his face twisting in agony as the pain increased exponentially. He hadn't even thought that was possible. _Obviously I was wrong, _he thought helplessly as his vision began to darken quickly.

And Daniel Jackson's world abruptly went black.


	18. Startling Discovery

Please review! Thank you to all who have been reviewing, and please continue to do so. :) Gotta have feedback fuel to keep the story going! Here's another nice long chapter for you. Enjoy! And please let me know what you think of it.

Chapter 18

The jaffa interrogating Danny was distracted when the door to the holding room opened, and he pulled back, allowing the younger Jackson another brief respite from the pain of the torture stick. Sam Carter had to bite back a sob when she saw the tears streaming down her friend's face as he sagged forward, gasping desperately for air that had been difficult to take in while screaming. She could still feel the tears on her cheeks that she had shed herself, and suddenly felt almost guilty for them as her Daniel continued sob. Sniffing, she pulled again against the hands that held her arms, wanting nothing more than to comfort her friend, for this to be over, but again it was useless.

Once the door had opened, another jaffa entered and stepped over to the jaffa holding to torture stick. The two conferred briefly in Goa'uld, and she couldn't understand a word of it. When the newcomer had finished replaying whatever message he had been sent to deliver, he left, but the door remained open. Then, to the relief of both humans the jaffa behind Jackson who had just received the message gave an order to the two on either side of Danny, and they bent to unbind him. Sobs of pain still shook his body, but he tried to keep them quieter.

As soon as his arms were free and the three jaffa around him had started toward the door Danny fell forward, but when his stiff arms touched the ground and the streaks of pain that shot up them made him realize that they wouldn't support him, he sucked in a quick breath and slowly sat back up. And he just sat there, crying, not knowing what else to do with himself as he rubbed his hurting arms. Sam wanted to go to him, and it was then that the jaffa holding her in place finally released her and left as well. She glared at their backs as they went, and then turned back to her friend just he began to sway, his exhaustion taking over as he tipped to one side.

Reacting quickly, Carter stepped forward, bent and caught him as he fell, gently lowering herself to the ground with him.

"Whoa, whoa," she said quietly once she was on her knees. "It's okay, Danny, I've got you. It's okay…" Still crying softly, he sank into her arms, and she kept them wrapped around his trembling body, helping him to rub his sore arms and trying to comfort him as she continued to blink back more tears of her own.

After a minute or so the younger Daniel's tears subsided, and he caught his breath. Only then did Sam venture to speak again.

"You all right?" she asked gently.

Danny sighed heavily and then spoke, his voice barely audible. "I will be…I guess…" But then he winced and slowly reached up toward his neck.

"What is it?" Sam inquired.

He didn't answer, but touched the back of his neck, which she couldn't see as his head was resting on her shoulder. His hand came away with blood, and Sam's eyes widened. Jackson only looked resigned as he gave another weak sigh. Carter started him in her arms to get a look at the back of his neck, suddenly even more concerned. He grimaced, but allowed it. Sam frowned at what she saw. The skin had broken and blistered from the continuous use of the torture stick, and blood had trickled down his neck and onto the collar of his jacket, but thankfully there didn't seem to be as much of it as there could have been, and the bleeding itself had stopped.

When Sam sighed and shifted Danny back into the position he had been in, he looked up at her. She could see the dark rims under his eyes, and the redness of his eyes themselves, how tired they looked.

"So?" he said, his voice asking a question even though it was obvious from his face that he wasn't really interested.

Carter answered anyway. "It's not bad. I think you'll be fine. Are you sure you're all right? It's never done that before…"

Danny nodded and then lowered his head again onto her shoulder again, staring into space. After a moment, as he felt her eyes on him, his closed and he sighed. "They didn't do it that way before," he finally answered as his eye opened again. "Sure, they used it plenty, but it was usually through the chains. It wasn't like that…" He grimaced, "That hurt a lot more."

"I think that's the way they usually do it," Carter said thoughtfully.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" he asked curiously.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know…something…I think it must be one of Jolinar's memories of that happening to her. I know it's not my memory so that's the only explanation I can think of…" Then she remembered something. "Oh, and besides, the colonel said that in the alternate universe that's the way they were, uh, torturing the, uhm, the alternate General Hammond."

Daniel's eyebrows went up. "Oh. That's…that's right...I guess that means I was lucky until now, huh?" He frowned. "Too bad it ran out," he complained tiredly.

Carter tightened her hold on him a bit. He didn't protest. "You can say that again."

The two sat for a moment, Jackson barely awake, until he looked around and frowned. "Hey…he, uh, the other me… isn't back yet?"

Sam shook her head in concern. "No…not yet. Look, Daniel, why don't you just get some rest, okay?"

Danny nodded slowly, his eyelids already lowering. "Yeah...that sounds like a good idea…" he trailed off. His head lolled, and seconds later Carter was holding a sleeping Daniel Jackson in her arms.

Sam smiled to herself. "Well, Danny, I didn't exactly mean _right there_, but whatever floats your boat…" She looked around for a minute, not quite sure what to do. Finally she sighed and scooted back to the wall beside the door, the only wall that didn't have a protruding bench obstructing it, and sat back against it with Danny's sleeping body still leaning against hers. Letting her head rest on the wall, she realized that she, too, was exhausted. Her arms still wrapped protectively around her friend, she soon also drifted into sleep.

* * *

Daniel felt himself wading once again out from under the veil of unconsciousness. Murky light found its way through his closed eyelids. The older Jackson didn't open them, knowing it would only aggravate the pounding headache he'd developed from the hand device. After a moment enough awareness came for him to realize that he was laying face down, feel the pain stabbing into his damaged ribs. Groaning, he rolled to his side. He laid there for another few minutes, adjusting to being awake again, adjusting his breathing so as to cause as little pain extra pain as possible. His entire body felt sore, after the beating, the torture stick, the hand device… 

Finally, Daniel opened his eyes, hoping to find himself back in the holding cell, but instead he saw that he was still in the same room where he had been. A blurry shape stood above him, and that was when he remembered that he had lost his glasses hours ago, when Amaunet had brought him back to the room that held the device that had somehow brought him here. He hadn't had them the first time he woke up in this room, so he assumed that they had been knocked off while her jaffa had been beating him. Jackson blinked, and the indistinct figure became the Goa'uld, frowning down at him.

The archaeologist couldn't keep himself from moaning again, not looking forward to whatever Amaunet had in store fro him now. She obviously wasn't through with him, if he was still here. But instead of having her jaffa pull him up now that she knew he was awake, she knelt beside him. He was a little confused, but still too tired to really wonder.

A moment later it seemed clear when she raised her left hand, the one adorned with the ribbon device, toward his face. Daniel flinched, resisting the urge to whimper or plead. Then, however, instead of activating the hand device, Amaunet ran a gold-capped finger along his cheek. He looked up at her silently, with no idea what she was doing until she spoke quietly.

"I have done everything I know to do to you--both of you, and still you resist. You will not tell you exactly how you came to be here, or of the future, and your younger self will not tell me anything important of the Tau'ri now," she said, her tone slightly complaining. "I am beginning to see that Daniel Jackson cares more for others than he does for himself, no matter what year he is from." She frowned, "A strange and pitiful behavior to be sure, with no match among the Goa'uld, but I suppose one not unexpected among a race as wild and unpredictable as you humans."

Daniel gulped, finding his mouth as dry as his old home of the planet Abydos. He opened his mouth to speak anyway, ignoring how uncomfortable it was.

"Yeah, we like both our values _and_ our randomness just fine, thank you very much," he rasped weakly. The comment smacked of Jack O'Neill attitude, and a few years ago that would have bothered him, as evidenced by something his younger self had asked him back in the holding cell, but by now he'd grown to not care much.

Amaunet made him care this time, however, when she swiftly stood and sent her foot crashing into his rib cage. Too weak to scream, Daniel gasped and doubled over on the floor, his body curling into a tight ball of agony. The Goa'uld stood, watching him, until his breathing slowed and he carefully uncurled. Then she smirked.

"Yes…maybe I am taking the wrong approach," she said thoughtfully. She looked pointedly at him then. "You care most for your wife, yes?"

Daniel looked sharply up at her, unsure of where she was going with the question. "Of course," he said quietly, cautiously.

Amaunet smiled at his answer. "I thought as much seemed obvious." She paused. "You wanted to know if I could hurt her?"

Daniel's eyebrows rose in alarm. "What?"

"I can," the Goa'uld answered suddenly.

Jackson's stomach tightened, and pushed himself up on one elbow, grimacing but otherwise ignoring the pain. "What?" he said again, but this time it was a hoarse, fearful whisper, and her next answer only made him feel worse.

"I can," Amaunet repeated. "The Goa'uld do have the ability to punish a host who does not cooperate with pain. It does not bother us, but it can be quite excruciating for the host mind. My host has been suffering since you drew her out earlier today, being punished for speaking to you." That sadistic smile appeared on her face again, and suddenly Daniel felt sick. The fears he'd had while Sha're was a host came back in full force and more as they were confirmed.

"N-No," he stammered, desperately trying to deny it. "You're bluffing. You can't do that to her…"

"Oh, but I can," she quickly confirmed. "Perhaps I should show you…"

Before Daniel could say anything else Amaunet had withdrawn, and Sha're's gasps of pain filled the room. "Dan'iel!" she cried, dropping to her knees as her hands went to hold her head. Daniel's eyes widened in horror as she shouted. "Help me, Dan'iel, please! It hurts-!" Quickly he sat up and took hold of her shoulders.

"Sha're, hold on! I'm here…" he fumbled.

A brief flick of her eyes in his direction told him she heard him, knew he was there for her, but then her eyes clenched shut. "Dan'iel, help me…" she cried in pain.

Gulping, he tried to get Amaunet to stop. He tried to speak to the symbiote, desperately pleading for her to leave Sha're alone as he gulped back tears that tried to obstruct his words, but he didn't even know if the Goa'uld could hear him when not in control of the body. Daniel failed to keep himself in relative calm for long, though, and by the time Amaunet chose to re-take control of Sha're's body Jackson was sobbing as he held her, helpless to stop what the snake was doing to her.

Amaunet roughly pulled away and stood, leaving the stricken archaeologist on his knees. For few moments she just stood looking at him, until his sobs faded to a few silent tears and shaky breathing.

At first Daniel was trying to calm himself, but suddenly he stopped as a new emotion rose--anger. Suddenly his conviction that the Goa'uld, everything that they stood for, everything they were, and everything they did was evil, was wrong, solidified, and he only felt angry at them, especially at this particular one. Right now he felt like if he could get the Goa'uld out of Sha're without harming her, that he would kill it himself right here. He knew that attitude wasn't exactly right, either, but at the moment he didn't care.

Then Amaunet spoke, pulling Daniel from his seething thoughts. "I can continue to hurt her for as long as it necessary, and I _will_ continue to do so until one of you tells me what I wish to know."

Finally Daniel looked up at her, his eyes red-rimmed. "You monster," he spat. A dozen other words much worse than that rattled around in his head, but he refrained from saying them. Amaunet only found the human's reaction amusing.

The room fell into silence again except for Daniel's pained grunts when the jaffa pulled him up. But before he gained his feet Amaunet opened her hand, using the ribbon device and sharply propelling Daniel out of the jaffa's hands and slamming him into the wall behind them, delivering a final, painful blow before she turned on her heel and exited.

Jackson sank to the floor, gasping as tears filled his eyes again, but he gulped them back as he doubled over from the pain that stabbed through his battered body from the impact with the wall. How many times now did that make that he'd been thrown into a wall by a hand device or something similar? It was getting old, but at the present he wasn't really thinking about it as his thoughts sank into turmoil and despair. Daniel struggled to straighten them out in his mind as the jaffa pulled him up again. It kept his mind off the pain that came with being moved as they dragged him out into the corridor and back to the cell, and served to calm him somewhat.

At least one of his emotions he was still sure of, though, and it was his anger--his anger at Amaunet…and at himself. A single coherent thought penetrated the gloom. _Sha're, I'm so sorry…

* * *

_

Samantha Carter was running. She was running, hiding, always moving. She wasn't sure where she was, but she recognized the Goa'uld design of the architecture, and the sound of jaffa marching. Their boots always made the same sound no matter what Goa'uld they served, that ominous sound that any SGC personnel that had come in contact with them had learned to be wary of, especially she herself an the rest of her team, who for some reason always seemed to have the most run-ins with their enemies foot soldiers.

That sound was what she running from, trying at all costs to stay away from, but no matter what she did it followed her. The jaffa were always a step behind her, always around the corner behind her, always gaining. Sam knew she had to stay ahead of them if she wanted to stay alive, but she couldn't shake them. She was exhausted, and finally collapsed, resting against a wall. If only she could just sleep for a few minutes, just a few, then she would feel better, be able to outrun her pursuers…

And then Carter realized that she was awake, sleeping against the wall of their cell next to the door, and that the dream must have been prompted by the very real sound of jaffa coming their way.

Sam tried to stretch, but found herself weighted down with something in front of her that was leaning back against her. Now fully wake, she glanced down and saw that it was Daniel--or rather, Danny, she corrected herself, so as not to get confused--his head on her shoulder, sleeping peacefully, and she remembered what had happened before she fell asleep.

The major's face went a bit pale again when she remembered why the two of them had been so exhausted, Jackson most of all, but at the sight of Danny's sleeping face she couldn't help but smile. And despite the fact that Sam thought of Daniel Jackson as a friend and co-worker, even as a brother and would have found it strange to think of him in any other way, she couldn't help but notice how cute he looked the way he was now.

But then Carter remembered the sound that had awoken her, and began to gently shake him, calling his name until he stirred. His eyes cracked open, and he looked at her blearily.

"What is it, Sam?" he quietly asked in mild annoyance. He only wanted to sleep, but Carter roused him out of it by shaking him again.

"Someone's coming. They're probably just bringing back…uhm…your counterpart, but you should wake up."

Groaning, Danny groggily sat up, pushing away from Sam. After yawning, rubbing his eyes and waking himself up a bit more, he suddenly realized where he'd been sleeping and started to blush profusely. "Uh, yeah, okay, thanks for waking me up. Uhm, I'm…I'm sorry; I didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that, I mean at least not literally _on_ you, I mean, uhm…"

Sam silenced him with a smile. "Stop it. It's okay, Danny. If I'd been through what you had, I would have fallen asleep on the spot, too. Don't worry; I didn't mind." It was then that what seemed to be a bit of a blush crept up her cheeks as well. "Besides, I kind of fell asleep too."

Now Jackson smiled, too. "Oh," was all he said.

Their conversation was cut short when the door opened, and the anticipated jaffa stepped into the cell and dropped the older Daniel onto the floor inside the door, right next to them. Danny grimaced at his older self's cry of pain, all too aware of how unpleasant that particular treatment was. He couldn't even remember how many times he'd been dropped over the past two or three days.

Sam and Danny waited until the jaffa were well gone before they leaned over their visitor from the future to check on his condition. Daniel was half doubled over, and his arms were wrapped protectively around his middle. It was obvious that some of his ribs must have been damaged from the way he was breathing. There were bruises and tear stains on his face, his forehead was red from the ribbon device, and his glasses were missing. He was conscious, but barely, and didn't seem very responsive.

Gulping hard with worry, she put a hand on his shoulder. Carter had almost expected him to flinch away from it, but he didn't, just continued to stare into space and struggle with his labored breathing. She glanced back at Danny, who had paled, and then looked back to Daniel.

"Daniel?" she asked. When he didn't answer, she tried again. "Daniel, are all right?"

After a moment or so and a couple more tries, she finally got a response as his eyes clenched shut. "It's my fault," he whispered. Sam glanced back at Danny again, who shrugged.

"What's you fault? What's wrong, Daniel?" she asked with concern.

Grunting, he pushed himself up on one elbow, but Sam kept her hand on his other shoulder. Daniel shook his head and spoke to his younger self instead of Sam. "I didn't mean too, I'm sorry…"

"Didn't mean to what?" Sam asked, still trying to get him to tell them what was going on as she helped him sit up the rest of the way. He grimaced in pain, but was too distraught to cry out.

"What is it?" Danny asked, joining in, now worried.

Daniel sighed, and his head dropped. When it came back up, there were tears in his eyes. "I was…you were worried about Amaunet being able to hurt her…" he said quietly. He gulped, "You were right."

The younger Jackson snapped back as if he'd been physically struck, horror on his face. "What!" he cried. "You can't be serious…"

Daniel nodded wearily. "When she started to realize that what she was doing wasn't going to work on either of us, well…she decided to try a different tactic."

If he had been pale before, now Danny was as white as a sheet. "Oh no," he whispered.


	19. Friends

I think this chapter is the longest yet. Ought to make you people happy, huh:) I hope so. Hopefully having nice, long, fun chapter will inspire more poeple to review! Must have reviews to go on! Please review,tell me what you think of my story, and this chapter, and enjoy!

Chapter 19

The news his older self had delivered had shaken Daniel Jackson to the core, and even though he knew he would need rest, Danny couldn't bring himself to close his eyes. His worry for Sha're had kept him awake for hours since the three cell mates had laid down to try to sleep, and now morning must have been near, but even though he was thoroughly exhausted he couldn't fall asleep now matter how hard he tried.

As a last-ditch effort, Danny deliberately pushed his worries for his wife to the back of his mind, and pulled forward memories from his life on Abydos with her. After she had first been taken, the memories had been the only thing that kept him going, along with the hope that he would find her. But exactly one year later, when he had returned to Abydos and discovered her there only to lose her again, the memories had become more painful, and more and more recently he had pushed them away. Right now, however, they were his only hope of getting any rest.

At first, it worked, and despite everything else that was happing he found himself smiling silently as images of Sha're and the two of them together filled the forefront of his mind. He remembered her teaching him her language, which hadn't taken very long to pick up because of its relationship with Ancient Egyptian. He remembered teaching her English, which had been harder, but he remembered how quick a learner she had been, how delightful a student. They'd spent many hours just sitting, pointing out different things and what they were called in each other's languages, learning more and more about each other's worlds.

The simple life of the Abydonians had been invigorating for Jackson, and there had been so many good times there…though life on his new home planet was not without its bad times. But there had never been anything that he and Sha're hadn't been able to pull through together, even when, on occasion thins had gotten especially difficult.

As Danny drifted down into a doze, that space between sleep and awareness where there are not-quite-dreams, a memory began to play that had been triggered when he had woken up in Sam's arms, a memory of being a similar position, but where Sha're had been holding him. It had involved one of more trying episodes of his life on Abydos, and at the time he had pushed it away, but now it came to the surface without obstruction, playing back again almost as clearly as the day it happened.

* * *

_Daniel Jackson could hear voices. He could feel himself being moved, lowered onto what felt like a bed, and his body protested with pain. His ankle throbbed, his head felt as if a nail had been shoved through it, and the rest of his body felt bruised. He couldn't remember what had happened. He remembered going to the cave that held the cartouche of what he believed to be stargate addresses, the text he been attempting to translate for months since he'd found it several weeks after Jack, Kawalsky, and Feretti had left Abydos to return to earth. Skaara and another of the boys, Nekim, a mutual friend of Daniel's and Skaara's, had been with him. But after that…nothing. _

_Most of the voices drifted away, but one remained, and came closer. After a moment Daniel recognized it as Sha're's, and realized that whoever had been carrying him must have brought him to their home. But beyond that, his mind was too muddled to think much else, and he still hadn't opened his eyes. He wasn't planning too, either. _

_A cool, damp cloth began to dab gently at his forehead, and he flinched from the sudden cold. Now sensing that he was awake, if only partially, Sha're's voice became more urgent. Somehow Daniel understood that she was telling him to hold on, that he would be all right, but his mind couldn't tell him whether the words were English or Abydonian. _

_She continued to talk, but he couldn't understand any more as he slipped into unconsciousness again.

* * *

_

_When consciousness returned, and Daniel opened his eyes, he found himself where he'd thought he was before--at home. Sha're sat beside him on their bed holding his hand, and a brief smile lit her face when she saw that he was awake. _

_"Dan'iel, I am glad you are awake. How are you feeling?"_

_"Not so great," Daniel grimaced weakly. "What happened? And…where are my glasses?"_

_Sha're leaned forward and smoothed his hair, then kissed his forehead. "You do not need them. You should rest, my husband," she said, answering his second question but obviously ignoring the first. _

_Normally he would have questioned her about it, but he was still too worn out to notice much or even care. He still wanted to know what had happened, but for the moment let it go. If she wouldn't tell him, maybe he didn't want to know. Listening to Sha're's soothing voice as she wrapped her arms around him, he drifted into sleep, but with sleep came dreams, and with dreams came the memories, and with the memories of what had happened he discovered that his suspicion that maybe he didn't want to know was correct.

* * *

_

_"So, you believe that these symbols tell how to open the Chappa'ai to other worlds besides your own?" Skaara asked as he Daniel, and Nekim once again looked around the cave that they had come to so often lately. Daniel didn't even glance up from his intense study of one of the walls to answer._

_"Yeah, I think so," he said simply, nodding, too distracted to give a more in-depth answer. _

_"Can we go to these worlds?" Nekim asked in Abydonian. He hadn't been able to pick up English as quickly. _

_That thought brought Daniel's head over to look at his friends. Switching to the native language, he replied, smiling. "I don't know. I certainly hope so. If I can just get one or more of these addresses to work…" He shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe the two of you could be among the first explorers from Abydos to leave your planet."_

_Both boys seemed excited at the idea, almost as excited as Daniel himself. But a damper clamped down on their excitement when suddenly a low rumble rippled through the cave._

_"What was that?" Nekim yelped._

_"Whatever it is, it is not good," Skaara said, also switching to his own language._

_It was then that the cavern began to shake, and Daniel's eyes widened in surprise. All three occupants of the cave still speaking in Abydonian, Daniel shouted over the rising noise. _

_"Yeah, I think I can agree with that! Why didn't you people tell me you had earth quakes!"_

_Both locals looked at him strangely, and the anthropologist shook his head. "Sorry, forgot you wouldn't know what that means…uh…this! You didn't tell me that the ground shook sometimes!"_

_"It does not! Not often, anyway," Skaara explained quickly. I only remember one other instance in my lifetime…"_

_Nekim nodded. "Yes, and that was not good. We should get out of here, now!"_

_Daniel had already moved, and was stumbling about the cave as it shook and dust fell, beginning to gather everything he'd brought with him, and other things that he usually kept there, tools, scores of notes and several books._

_"Dan'iel we must go, now!" Skaara shouted to him from near the door. "There is no time! This chamber is secure, but the tunnel could collapse! Come on!"_

_"I can't leave these things here. If the tunnel does collapse, I'll lose them until we can dig back in here!" the scientist answered. Several more precious seconds were taken, until finally Jackson had scooped up the last book and stumbled to the door. Skaara and Nekim had not left without him, and immediately all three rushed toward daylight._

_Just as they turned a corner and the entrance to the cave came into view, Skaara and Daniel heard the disastrous sound of rocks falling behind them accompanied by a scream, and realized that Nekim had ended up in back, and stopped. _

_Daniel skidded to a halt, a sound that he'd hoped never to hear again assaulting his ears. Twisting around, he and Skaara saw the final seconds of the rockslide that had swept down on top of Nekim. The blood drained from Daniel's face as his mind flashed back to his parents' deaths, when they were crushed beneath the heavy cover stone of an Ancient Egyptian display when the chain moving it snapped while they were working at a museum in New York. Only a child at the time, he'd seen the whole thing happen, and he hadn't been able to stop it._

_"No!" Daniel shouted in horror as the tunnel continued to shake around them. The end of it was only a few feet away, but neither he nor Skaara moved until the native boy started to run back for his friend at the chance he was still alive. Daniel stopped him. "No, I'll go," he said quickly, shoving his things into Skaara's arms and then pushing his brother-in-law the last few feet out of the cave. Maybe he hadn't been able to do anything twenty-five years ago, but maybe he could do something now. _

_Skaara shouted after Daniel in protest as he ran back in, but obediently stayed outside the tunnel. At least something was going right. Daniel stumbling back down the tunnel through the falling dust and rock fragments, struggling to see and hoping to find Nekim between the entrance and the newly formed partial rock wall that now blocked the tunnel. But when the reached where the tunnel had collapsed, there was still no sign of him. He called Nekim's name, wondering if he could simply be trapped on the other side, but stopped when he saw the foot and the end of the brown homespun robe that poked out from under the rocks. Suddenly Jackson felt sick, knowing that there was no way the boy could have survived being buried that deeply under the rocks. _

_Desperately he called his friend's name a few more times, but to no avail, and by now Skaara was shouting at him to come out again, that it looked as if more rocks were going to fall. Blinking back the tears that started to cloud his vision, Daniel turned and started back toward the entrance._

_"Dan'iel, hurry! It's going to collapse further, get out of there!" Skaara called._

_He was almost there, but suddenly something hard and heavy struck his back, knocking him to the ground. Daniel knew it had been a rock, and knew that if he didn't get back up and get out that he would probably be killed, too. He tried to get up, but more rocks were falling, and one hit his leg, sending him back down and causing his ankle to twist painfully. Looking up again, he only had time to catch a glimpse of Skaara dropping the load in his hand and rushing back into the tunnel to help him before something hit his head, and the world blinked out.

* * *

_

_Daniel gasped as he woke again, and found himself trembling. Sha're was sitting up now, against the wall at the head of the bed, but he was still in her arms, his head resting on her shoulder, and he clung to her as he broke into tears. _

_"Shhhh," she soothed, stroking his hair. "It's all right, Dan'iel. What is wrong?"_

_"I-I remember. I know what happened." he gulped quietly through his tears. He bit back a sob. "Sha're, it's my fault. Nekim is dead, and it's my fault…"_

_Sha're shook her head immediately, her face showing only love and concern. "No, Dan'iel. Do not blame yourself."_

_"But…I was the only who stayed an extra minute, gathering my things. If I had just run, if we had just left a few seconds earlier…it wouldn't have happened…. Besides, I'm the one that decided to go to the cave today, brought them with me…"_

_"Dan'iel, stop," Sha're said firmly. "You could not have known that the ground would shake, or that the tunnel would fall in. It is 'not' your fault." Then her voice softened. "It is all right. I love you, Dan'iel, and I'm glad that you are safe." She leaned to kiss him, and he let her, returning it, but when she pulled back there were still tears in his eyes, and he was looking at her. _

_"What is it?" she asked in concern. "There is something else, isn't there?"_

_Daniel gulped again, and reached up to touch his wife's face. "It's just that…what happened wasn't all I dreamed about. I was also dreaming about what could have happened…"He started to blink back the fresh tears that threatened to fall. "What if…what if it had been you?" he choked out. "Just before I woke up, that's what I was dreaming, and for a moment I thought…"he trailed of, unable to complete the sentence. "Sha're, I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you…"_

_She shushed him gently, reaching up to the hand on her cheek and taking it in her own. "But nothing has happened to me, Dan'iel, and even though you have been hurt, you will be fine." She smiled at him. "Remember your promise to me, Dan'iel? That we will be together forever? I plan to keep that promise as well, my husband." _

_"I know…" Daniel whispered. Then, grunting from soreness, he sat up and embraced her as a few more tears fell from his eyes. "I love you, too."

* * *

_

Danny woke from the memory with tears in his eyes, but a smile on his face. He still regretted the loss of his friend, but after that incident he and Sha're had grown even closer. More memories of the better times afterward came, along with hope for the future, hope that he would get her back and, comforted, he was finally able to fall asleep.

Daniel, on the other hand, knew that he would never have her back, and could not sleep at all. He was afraid to close his eyes, knowing that all he would see was Sha're, held prisoner by the Goa'uld within her, her face twisted in pain, that all he would hear was her screams, and that all he would feel was his helplessness to do anything about any of it.

* * *

A soft sound from across the room woke Sam from a sound sleep. Sitting up slowly, she listened. To one side of her she could hear the slow, even breathing that told her that Danny was finally asleep. She was relieved to know that much, but her face fell into a frown when she turned to look across the room at where Daniel was sleeping--or not sleeping. 

The major almost had to strain her ears to hear it, but she was sure that she heard the sound of crying. It wasn't a sound she heard often, not from her teammates, anyway, but of course she knew what it was. Concerned, she quietly stood and crossed to the opposite wall. Daniel was facing away from her, and she sat beside him. Tentatively, she reached out and touched his shoulder.

"Daniel…?"

The Jackson of the future jerked in surprise, but quickly recovered and swiped a sleeve across his face before he turned over to look at her. "Sam? What is it?" he asked quietly.

"Well…" Carter began slowly. "I, uhm…I heard you…I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

Daniel sighed. "Oh. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you worry about me…" He tried to sit up, but grimaced and an arm went around his injured ribs. Sam put out an arm and stopped him.

"It's okay. No, don't move." She sighed, "How are you feeling."

Daniel lay back again and suppressed a sigh, knowing it would only hurt more. He was tempted to lie to Sam, but couldn't bring himself to do it. "Physically, terrible, and emotionally, whole lot worse," he answered simply, giving both answers to the question because he knew she wanted both. At her concerned look, he tried to bring humor into the conversation by squinting and complaining good-naturedly about the loss of his glasses, "I can't even see straight!"

Sam smiled briefly, but then became serious again. "It's not your fault, you know," she said softly.

Daniel gulped. "Yes it is. I didn't tell you everything."

"What do you mean?" Carter asked in confusion.

So he told her. He told what had happened in the experiment room, what he had done to talk to Sha're, and what that had lead to, though leaving out any details about his feelings that could give clues of the future, of what had happened to Sha're. It was difficult, but he managed to tell her what had happened without crying again or giving anything away that could further screw up the future.

"Daniel, you couldn't have known…" Sam said after a moment of silence.

"Maybe not, but it was still a stupid idea, and now Sha're is suffering because of me," Daniel said bitterly.

"Daniel, you said yourself that Amaunet showed you what she was doing to her because she realized that torturing you wasn't getting her anywhere, that you cared more for your wife. That means that even if you hadn't done what you did to provoke her to do it, she still would decided on it eventually, right?"

That stopped him. "Well…maybe…but I still made her do it sooner."

"You can't second-guess yourself at every turn, Daniel," Sam said, putting her hand on his shoulder again. "From what I've seen so far, in the future you've done a good job of learning _not_ to do that so often, but nobody's perfect," she smiled.

Daniel gave her a small smile in return. "I'm still worried about her, though," he said after a moment.

"I know. We all are. Now try to get some sleep before I report you Doctor Fraiser when we get back. You know how she is. She'd write a note to herself and make sure she scolded you for not getting enough sleep when _you_ get back to the future," Carter said, now grinning. When Daniel's eyes suddenly became sad again at her comment, she frowned.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," he said, looking away for a moment. When he turned to her again he mustered another smile. "Don't worry about me; I'll be fine. I promise I'll try to sleep."

"Good," Sam said, standing. So she left him again, going back to her own bench and laying down, and even though she did soon fall back to sleep, she couldn't get the look on Daniel's face when she mentioned Janet Fraiser out of her mind.

* * *

Jack O'Neill groaned in protest as shook him, trying to wake him. He rolled over in the small bed in his room on base, and pulled the blanket over his head, still too asleep to remember why he had wanted to wake up early. 

"Five more minutes!" he grunted, but the persistent voice continued. "Or how about ten minutes…an hour?"

Whoever was there was ignoring him, and finally he uncovered his head and opened one eye to see Teal'c standing over him. "Teal'c…what are you doing in my room?"

"You must wake up, O'Neill," the jaffa answered. "Sergeant Harriman believes he has found something."

Jack now opened both eyes, and saw that behind Teal'c stood a groggy Janet Fraiser and a very hyper Walter Harriman. Slowly the colonel pushed the blanket off and sat up. Having slept in his clothes like the rest of them, wanting to get as early a start as possible on continuing to search for Carter and Jackson, he attempted to straighten his rumpled t-shirt on the way up. O'Neill peered at Harriman as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Okay…Walter, what have you got?" he asked.

"Well, sir, we've been sending M.A.L.P.s through all night on preliminary runs to get ready for today, and a few looked interesting, but you have to see for yourself what the one we sent through a few minutes ago sent back. I really think we could be onto something. General Hammond sent me to get the three of you."

"Ah," was all Jack said as he stood and grabbed the green long-sleeved buttoned shirt of his fatigues from the bed post and pulled it on. Then, slipping his feet into his boots, he stood without even bothering to tie them. "Okay, campers, let's see what Walter's all excited about." He glanced over at the sergeant as the group of four headed for the control room. "I don't guess your going to tell us what it is before we get there, are you?" he asked jokingly, back to his usual snarky self now that he was more awake.

"Only if you want me to, sir."

"Good. I'd rather see for myself."

"Yes sir."

When the four arrived in the control room, Walter went straight for his post and sat down, punching at the keyboard on one of the many computers nearby. Second later an image appeared on the screen in front of them.

"Here it is, colonel. Watch this closely, and I think you'll see what I mean."

"Yeahsureyoubetcha, now hit play already," O'Neill said with some impatience, wanting to see if this could help them locate the rest of his team.

"Yes sir, sorry sir," Harriman said quickly, pressing a key. A Second later the image on the computer screen came to life and began to play the video the M.A.L.P. had began to send back once it was through the wormhole. There was the momentary bumping and blurring of the image as the machine rolled down off of whatever steps or platform the stargate was on, and then the movement stopped and the picture stilled to show what appeared to be a Goa'uld base.

Jack's eyebrows went up and Fraiser leaned forward excitedly. They had brief view of the empty room, but seconds later two jaffa turned into the large chamber. One of them shouted something, and the other raised his staff weapon and fired. Almost immediately after, the screen went blank.

"They destroyed it!" Janet said, pulling back.

"Indeed," Teal'c said he raised the eyebrow.

Jack looked to Harriman. "I gotta hand it to you, Walter, this is good news. I'd betcha anything that's where they are."

"Why would you say that?" Fraiser questioned.

"Why else would they want to keep it a secret?"

"They might just not like alien machinery coming through their 'gate--especially ours," the doctor retorted.

"Yeah, but look…Walter, replay that and freeze-frame it on the empty room," O'Neill ordered.

A moment later the image was up again and frozen in place at the colonel's request, and he pointed to something that the others had failed to see the first time around. There where stacks of crates around a ring transporter in what seemed to be an open storage area on the other side of the large room, and a few of the crate in the front here and there had not been closed yet. He pointed to one of the nearest ones.

"What do you see there?"

Sighing, Janet leaned closer and squinted at the screen, until a moment later her eyes widened. "That…that looks like SGC gear!"

"Right. I see vests, guns, and I think I can even make out a GDO--everything the Goa'uld would have taken away from them if they captured them there. I'm telling you; that's where they are."

"Are you sure about that, colonel?"

All eye turned behind them to see General Hammond, whom none of them had noticed come in.

Jack O'Neill nodded. "Positive, sir. It's the only explanation. We don't have any other leads, and this one looks solid to me."

Hammond nodded. "Good. I suggest that you start working on a plan then, colonel."

"Yes sir!" Jack agreed readily, snapping off a salute before turning back Teal'c, Fraiser, and Harriman. Hammond smiled and walked back toward his office as O'Neill began snapping off assignments to the team he had for getting their plan pulled together.

"Oh yeah, and Walter?" Jack said finally as he finished.

"Sir?"

"Call Jacob and let him know what we found for me, will you? And tell him we could use his help."

"I'd be happy to, sir."

Now more than fully awake, O'Neill felt his spirits rising as he realized that they actually might soon fins his missing friends. But at the same time, he had to wonder how they were going to pull it of when the gate on that planet was right in the middle of a Goa'uld base.


	20. You Have a Go

Okay, sorry this one took so, long. but there's this annoying algebra thing...never mind. Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it! Please review and let me know what you think! Please:) Must have reviews to keep going, must have more reviews...

Chapter 20

As soon as Daniel opened his eyes that morning he knew something was wrong. He could sense the tension that radiated from near him, and when he looked up and back behind his head, he wasn't surprised to see Samantha Carter sitting there stiffly, looking intensely worried about something.

"Sam?" he asked in concern. He was surprised at how much his voice croaked; that it came out barely above a whisper. As Carter turned to look at him he quickly took stock and realized that he already felt much worse than he had before he'd finally fallen asleep. Again trying to test just how bad the damage inflicted the previous night was, Daniel tried to sit up, but the pain from his chest drove him back down again before he'd even lifted his body more than an inch, and the sharp breath of air he sucked in before he could think about it didn't help any either.

Sam's eyes widened as Daniel broke into a fit of coughing, and grabbed his shoulders as he curled into a fetal position, fighting to bring his breathing back under control as the agony rippled through his shaking body.

"Daniel!" Carter cried in alarm. After a few more seconds Jackson's coughing stopped and he slumped, gulping in deep, slow, shaky breaths of air. He'd barely been awake for a minute and already he was sweating. "Daniel, are you all right?"

He nodded, but his eyes were still clenched shut. "Yeah…" he gasped."Sorry….didn't mean to…scare you like that…" A moment later, when he had his breathing more under control, he opened his watering eyes and looked weakly up at her. "So…what's going on? Why did you…did you look so tense when I woke up?"

Sam frowned. "Well, if I was tense then, I'm even more freaked out now. You scared me half to death, Daniel! Are you sure you're okay?" she answered hotly, dodging his question. For a moment she feigned anger, but behind it was only concern.

Daniel frowned. "I said I was sorry..." he answered. "And yes, I'll be…okay. I'll survive, anyway…." He trailed off as he tried to shift his position, which had grown uncomfortable over the hours of the night. But as he moved, there where sharp stabs of pain as he felt the broken ribs shift inside his chest, and he couldn't stop the long, low moan that escaped.

All traces of the mask of anger Sam had shoved on fell away immediately as worry took over when she heard the heartbreaking sound. She blanched. "Daniel, is it just me or have you gotten worse since last night?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oooohhhh, I wish it were just you," Daniel groaned. Carter swallowed hard as she took in the sight of her friend from the future: black BDUs and hair disheveled, glasses missing, skin pale, beaten and bruised, forehead burned from the ribbon device, struggling to breath with one arm around his broken mid-section. Danny, her Daniel, from this time, had looked much better the last time she'd seen him, but before the Goa'uld had put him in the sarcophagus he'd been in worse condition than this; he'd been dying, and now if they tried to do anything else to this Daniel he was likely to die, too.

Sam closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again there were tears gathering in them. "We _have_ to get out of here soon," she said quietly. "If we don't, I don't know if either of you will make it."

Daniel looked at her sympathetically for a moment, and then something occurred to him. "Both of us? What…do you mean? He uh…my other self…he seemed fine…"

Carter nodded. "I know, but he's the one I was worrying about when you woke up." She gulped, "They must have taken him again….He wasn't here when I woke up a few minutes ago." Sam pounded a fist on the wall beside her. "How could I have slept through that? I should have woken up! I should have…"

"Should have what?" Daniel said softly. "You couldn't have stopped them, Sam; you know that, I know that, and…he knows that…I knew that…"

Sam looked away for a moment, but turned to Daniel when she heard a muffled sob from his direction. When she looked back at him again he wasn't crying, but was obviously upset. "Daniel, what's wrong?"

It took a few moments, but finally he answered. "She's going to do it again, Sam. She probably won't due much to him physically, but she'll do what she did to me just before they brought me back." Now tears did start to sting his eyes as he remembered Sha're's screams, and when he continued his voice began to crack. "She's-she's going to do it again, Sam, she's going to hurt Sha're…"

* * *

The same thought echoed in Danny's head at that very moment as he sank down the wall of the interrogation room to the floor, nursing his freshly bruised stomach as the jaffa backed off. Jackson landed unceremoniously on the floor and let his head thump back against the wall while he gasped for air. He swiped a jacket sleeve gently across his cracked lips, and when it came away with the blood he'd known was there he winced anyway. Amaunet watched, still passive as ever, from a few feet away.

She was toying with him again, and again he knew it. Danny knew her central plan of action now was to employ the tactic she had recently used on his older counterpart, that this was just the opening act. That was why she hadn't allowed her jaffa to get overly brutal this time, why nothing was cracked or broken, why this beating hadn't lasted very long. But what could he do?

He tossed a glare in the direction of the Goa'uld even as he was still concentrating on bringing oxygen into his starved lungs. She smiled back at him, and advanced in his direction.

"As suspected, you still resist as well," she began. "It seems my change of approach with your counterpart was indeed called for. Of course it did not succeed the first time, but he seemed a good deal more shaken than before. I will have what I want from him soon. Now for you…"

Danny's face went slack; his scowl faded to reveal the terror that suddenly gripped him. "Leave Sha're…out of this," he hissed at her. He would have spoken louder, but was still short of breath.

Amaunet smirked. "Stupid human; it's already too late. I have not left her alone since she made the mistake of speaking to both you and your older self yesterday."

"Leave her alone!" Jackson growled.

"I'm afraid I can't do that--not until I get what I want." Danny watched helplessly in horror as Amaunet withdrew again, pushing Sha're to the foreground. A sharp gasp echoed, and then her legs had buckled.

Ignoring the bruises, Jackson jumped forward and caught his exhausted wife as she fell. Trembling, she sank into him while she groaned in pain. Gasping, she looked up at his face as he folded her into his arms. "D-Dan'iel?"

"It's me, Sha're, I'm right here," he said, holding her tighter, as if it would help. Danny felt tears welling in his eyes again. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…" he gulped, not knowing what else to say, or to do. From what his older self had said, it didn't seem that Amaunet could hear him when not in control, or refused to answer, so he knew begging the Goa'uld to stop would be useless. All he could do was be there for her. He'd tried to prepare himself for the possibility that this might happen, but nothing could have. At least she wasn't screaming this time. Maybe…maybe that meant Amaunet wasn't being as harsh now…or maybe her host was just too exhausted to shout anymore.

"D-do not…blame yourself for…for this, Dan'iel…" Sha're gasped, startling him with her words. They should have comforted him, and did to some extent, but the way she could sound so trusting and loving while at the same time her voice was tortured with pain only caused the hold Danny had to his tears to dissipate.

"Hold on, Sha're," he sobbed after a moment. "Just hold on, it'll be all right…"

"W-what…?"

Gulping back his tears for a moment, he looked at her. "You can fight her, Sha're; I know you can. You've done it before. Doing this to you…it has to do something to her, too, weaken her in some way…" He started to speak rapidly now, knowing Amaunet wouldn't want Sha're to hear what he had to say and might take control again now to keep him from saying it. "I'm sure she can't keep it up forever, and then if you can just get control for a few minutes, anything….You have to helps us. If you can get control and helps us escape, then you can come with us. We'll get you out of here and get that snake out of you. I can't let you stay like this anymore, trapped in your own body, where she can hurt you like this. I won't-" His voice broke and the tears started to fall again.

Sha're gripped the fabric of Danny's jacket more tightly between her fingers as the pain surged. "I will try, Dan'iel," she whispered as she sought comfort in her husband's embrace. She couldn't suppress the tortured groan that came next, and then felt him kiss her now damp forehead.

"Just hold on, Sha're. I've got you," he whispered again in return as he rocked back and forth while he held her. She knew that with the fresh bruises the movement must have been painful for him, but it was comforting to her, and even though she tried to open her mouth to ask him to stop if it was hurting him she suddenly found that she couldn't. She knew why.

Amaunet was taking control again, shoving her backwards. Sha're tried to fight to keep her body, but she was weak, and she only had time to release a muffled cry of pain and surprise before she was locked in the darkness once again, trapped in darkness but still aware of what was happening around her.

"Sha're!" Danny shouted when she cried out, but then Amaunet was pushing away from him and quickly standing.

"Enough," she said. "You understand now. She will suffer until you give the information I desire."

Jackson looked up at her through tear-blurred eyes. "Do _all_ Goa'uld's _always_ sound like broken records?" he said angrily.

Amaunet kicked him in the gut and he shouted and doubled over. When the jaffa pulled him to his feet he was still gasping, but Danny cast one last weary glance over his shoulder at his wife before the serpent guards led him from the room.

* * *

Daniel had fallen asleep again soon after waking up, or lost consciousness again even, maybe. Carter couldn't quite tell, but she hoped that he was resting well; he certainly needed it.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Sam waited another few minutes where she was, until finally the door slid open and two jaffa shoved Danny back in. The younger Jackson stumbled and fell to his knees with a grunt. The major winced and made her way over to him. As she got closer she saw his bleeding lip, the fresh bruises on his face, and the way he bent forward, and she frowned.

"Hey, Danny, you okay?" she asked in concern as she knelt beside him.

He nodded miserably, his eyes still on the floor. "I'll be fine," he said quietly. Then he gulped, "But Sha're's not…"

Sam's eyebrows went up as she realized that Daniel's assessment of what Amaunet would do this time had been right, that she knew what had happened.

"She's still hurting Sha're, Sam. She won't-" his voice caught. "She won't leave her alone…"

Sam saw him fighting tears again, and leaned forward and hugged her friend gently, rubbing his back. "It's okay, Danny. It'll be all right…" she said, and after a moment Jackson returned the embrace.

"How can you be sure?" he asked when she pulled away.

"I'm sure she can't keep that up forever. She's probably not doing it nearly as much as you think she is. Sha're will be fine," Carter smiled, trying to reassure him.

"You really think so?" he asked, sincerely hoping she was right.

Sam nodded. "I don't see any reason why that wouldn't be true. I mean, whatever she's doing has to have _some _effect on her no matter what she says. I doubt she could do it continuously for very long." She sighed, "You should stop beating yourself up over it--both of you."

Danny smiled weakly. "You're probably right--I hope you are."

Carter smiled back. "Yeah, I hope so to."

Then Jackson grimaced, and Sam's face became concerned again. "What is it?"

"Nothing…just a little bruised up; that's all," he winced.

"You sure? Nothing cracked this time?"

He nodded. "I'm sure, Sam. Could you just…help me up? Please?"

Carter sighed again. "All right," she agreed, moving closer to allow him to slip an arm around her shoulders. Putting her arm around him as well, she gently pulled him to his feet. Danny gasped once on the way up and grunted a few times as she helped him over to the bench opposite his counterpart, but for the most part seemed to be in considerably less pain than before. When he didn't cry out from being set down, Sam finally let herself feel relief that he wasn't hurt too badly. Then, however, her worry returned to the older Daniel.

"Thanks," Danny said as he sat back against the wall, and when she didn't answer him he looked up to see her looking worriedly across the room. Jackson frowned as a bit of worry of his own started to take root. "How's he doing?" he asked quietly.

Sam shook her head. "Not good. He woke up for a few minutes, but he was hurting pretty badly…couldn't even move. I wish I knew how bad the injuries were, but he wouldn't let me touch him last night."

"And we barely got him off the floor; I know," Danny nodded, and then looked pointedly at her. "You think it's really bad, don't you?"

"I don't know," Carter said, shaking her head. "That's the problem. All I know is that it _seems_ bad--and that we have to keep them from taking him again. I mean, yes, Amaunet is using new…method…now, but she's nowhere close to abandoning the old ones yet, and I honestly don't know if he could survive that again."

Danny's eyebrows almost disappeared beneath his now much shorter bangs Carter was still getting used to, and she flinched. "Now don't get me wrong," she added quickly. "His life isn't in immediate danger right now; but there's no telling what she'll do next time, and I don't think his body can take a whole lot more."

Jackson's head banged against the wall behind him and he let it rest there as the heels of his hands came up to press against his eyes. "Ohhh, I didn't need to hear that," he moaned.

"What?" Sam asked quickly, suddenly worried.

Danny sighed and turned to look at her, still frowning. "You do realize that's almost as bad as you telling me _I'm_ in that condition, don't you?" he gulped.

Carter paled as she realized what he meant. "Oh! Omigosh, Danny, I'm sorry. I knew that, I just…I wasn't thinking…" She put her own head in her hands for a moment, embarrassed. "I'm sorry…I guess being a prisoner for two or three days straight can dull the brain."

"It's all right," Danny assured her, grimacing from soreness again before looking for a second time across the room at his older self--which was getting weird. "I guess you're right; he doesn't look so good."

Sam nodded wearily and pulled her legs up onto the bench, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her head on top of them. How hard could it be to get two Daniel Jackson out of here and home safely? It was at least possible, wasn't it? She certainly hoped so.

* * *

"Jacob! Welcome back," Jack smiled, warmly greeting Samantha Carter's father as he came up the stairs into the conference room; O'Neill was in a much better mood this time, now that he knew almost for sure where his friends were.

Jacob nodded and greeted O'Neill in return as he sat down at the long table once again, joining the colonel, Teal'c, Dr. Fraiser, and General Hammond.

"I was happy to hear that you've found something," Carter said eagerly.

"Oh, we found something all right." O'Neill said enthusiastically.

Hammond nodded, and then turned to his friend. "Jacob, do the Tok'ra have any more information on P5R-322?"

Jacob nodded slowly. "Some…All we know is that Apophis has an outpost there--mostly underground. Most of the time it's abandoned or very sparsely occupied, but there has been a lot of unusual activity there the past few days."

"What kind of unusual activity?" Janet asked.

"Numerous matter streams leaving and returning through the rings, there are three ships in orbit; that sort thing. There was even a short-lived attack on the location by Heru-er's forces yesterday, but they were driven back." Jacob frowned. "If that's really where Sam and Daniel are, I don't like the odds we have of getting them out."

"Why not?" Jack questioned.

Jacob sighed. "The only two ways in or out of that compound is through the Stargate or the ring transporter. Both are in the same chamber, so it really doesn't make a difference which one we used. They would know we were there the second we arrived. That means our only option is to Gate there--a frontal assault; fight our way in, get Sam and Daniel;, and fight our way out again."

Now O'Neill frowned. "Oh. Well, you didn't say that before."

Fraiser had paled a bit. "How many jaffa do you think there are? What are our chances? If they had enough to beat back an attacking army…"

Carter's head shook. "Actually, we believe there to be as many as you might think. The force Heru-er spared to assault the outpost was rather small--only one hu'tack class vessel, and it didn't even seem to have a full crew, or so our intelligence says. Whichever Goa'uld is using that base now wouldn't have needed too many jaffa. On top of that, our surveillance before and after the attack hasn't shown any signs of large numbers of jaffa. That doesn't mean it'll be easy to get them out, but at least we have a chance."

"Well, we never expected it to be _easy_," Jack replied.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Indeed. I do believe that Jacob carter is correct. We stand a fair chance of retrieving our friends safely. We should leave as quickly as possible" Then he looked toward Hammond. "If you agree, General Hammond."

The General seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"General?" Janet asked.

"Do we have the go-ahead, sir?" O'Neill added. He waited nervously for his superior's response, wanting nothing more than to get on with the rescue mission. He wanted his team back; he wanted his friends back. Goodness only knew what the Goa'uld holding them could be doing to them. He suppressed a shudder and forced himself not to think about it. Hammond would agree, they would find carter and Daniel, and both of them would be fine. They had to be.

Finally Hammond sighed. "I'm not entirely comfortable with allowing you to go straight in like that, colonel, but if we have no other choice…" After another moment he nodded. "All right, Jack, you have a go-"

"YES!"

"-but all of you do me a favor."

"Sir?" Fraiser asked as O'Neill calmed himself and turned back to the General as well.

"Don't get yourselves killed, and bring our people back safely."

O'Neill grinned, "Will do, sir!"

Jacob Carter smiled as well. "Thank you, George. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to ask permission to accompany them."

Hammond nodded. "Go right ahead, Jacob. And colonel, you'd better take SG-3 with you, as well. I'd send SG-5 too, but they're off-world."

"That's all right, sir; I think one extra team should do it. When can we leave, General?"

"How soon can you be ready, Jack?"


	21. Rescue Launched

Here it is! Finally the guys back at the SGC taking some action...but of course there can't be a rescue without twists. This chapter and the next two are three are very important chapters to the story, so please read and enjoy and _please_ review so I know how I'm doing on this part. I really need to know. Anyway, thanks to all those who have been reading and reviewing so far, and please continue to regulary do so as you have been! It's been very helpful! Now, on to the action:)

Chapter 21

Danny slumped back against the wall in relief as the cool water slipped down his parched throat. Finally their captors had given them something to drink. The three small containers weren't a whole lot, and still no food, but at least what they had been given would keep them alive for now. It had been almost three days since he and Sam had been captured, and they wouldn't have been able to go without water for much longer.

Beside him, Carter leaned over to wake his counter part, but when she touched his shoulder and whispered his name he didn't move. Afraid to shake him, she moved her hand to his forehead. Danny saw her frown at how his skin felt. Sam glanced toward her water container and back at the older Daniel, then pulled one arm out of her jacket and started to tug at the end of the sleeve of the black shirt underneath. When Danny realized what she was doing, he put out a hand to stop her, wincing in pain from the sudden movement.

"Sam, wait."

"What?" Carter asked, looking back at him.

"Let me," he answered, unzipping his own jacket and pulling at the bottom of his own t-shirt. "This thing already has holes in it anyway…"

Sam smiled at that. "Thanks," she said gratefully as he tore away a piece of cloth and handed it to her.

"No problem," Danny replied. He zipped his jacket back up, watching with concern as Carter dipped the cloth in water, rung it out and gently pressed it to the unconscious Jackson's forehead.

"He's not doing any better, is he?" Danny asked hesitantly.

Sam sighed and shook her head. "No; I'm afraid he's getting worse," she gulped. "Danny, if they don't find us soon, we're going to have to do something. We can't just sit around here any more."

"Like what, Sam? Every possible plan has been somehow ruled out. What are we supposed to do?"

"Anything!" Carter cried in frustration. "Amaunet probably knows by now that she's not going to get anything from either of you; she might just let him die this time. We can't let that happen. It would…" She trailed off, but the pained look on her face prompted Jackson to ask what was wrong.

"It would what, Sam? What is it?" he prodded gently.

Sam swallowed hard. "I know it's different, sort of, but…but if he dies…it would be just as bad as losing you," she whispered, blinking back tears. "I don't want you to die, Daniel--either of you. I don't know what I'd do…what SG-1 would do without you."

Now Danny swallowed. "Sam…"

He was almost relieved when he was interrupted by a soft moan from behind Carter, because he hadn't known what to say that. On the other side of Carter, the older Daniel was starting to come to, and Sam quickly turned back to him and continued to hold the damp cloth to his forehead.

"Daniel?" she said quietly as his eyes fluttered.

"W-what…?" he said faintly, now looking up at her from where he rested. "Oh…Sam." Daniel grimaced as he tried to pull in a deep breath now that he was awake. A moment later his hand went to his forehead and felt the cloth there, with Carter's hand still pressed firmly over it, and his eyes questioned her.

"Does it help any?" she asked.

"A little," he rasped. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, but thank your self over there for the cloth itself," Sam answered, smiling as she inclined her head towards Danny.

The younger Jackson shrugged when his counterpart glanced over at him. "Don't mention it; my shirt was torn up already."

"Yeah…I remember that part…" Daniel smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked.

Daniel groaned. "I'm not even going to _try _to answer that question."

Carter winced. "That bad, huh?"

He nodded weakly, and she sighed. "Here; maybe drinking something will do you some good," she suggested, picking up his container of water. Gently Sam moved her hand from his forehead to behind his head and picked it up enough so that he could drink. She started to bring the container to his lips herself, but was relieved when he was able to reach up, take it from her and do it himself, even if his arms were rather shaky.

When Daniel finished, he handed the container back to Carter and she set it down out of the way and lowered his head back to the bench. He thanked her again, and she nodded in return.

"You know," Daniel began after a moment, "it's kind of…frustrating…"

"What is?" Carter asked in confusion as Danny raised an eyebrow, wanting to know what he was talking about.

Daniel would have shrugged, but deemed it wiser to remain still and simply turned his head to look at Sam and his younger self. "Well," he said, a half smile pulling at his lips. "The first time I was here they had to take me three or four times before it got anywhere near this bad for me, but this time it only took once to put me out of commission. And it's just…well…depressing." Something that sounded like a choked off chuckle escaped before he gave a muffled cry of pain, and Sam put a hand on his shoulder.

Danny crossed his arms over his chest. "There's no need to feel bad about that; it's not your fault…or at least I don't think so."

Daniel resisted the urge to sigh, already hurting more from his weak attempt to laugh. "I know it's not…but that doesn't make me feel any less helpless."

Another silent moment passed, and then Danny sat up. "He's right."

"I am? About what?"

"What are you talking about, Danny?"

"About feeling helpless," he frowned. "I've had enough of it. You were right Sam; we have to do _something_. We need to get out of here, get him back to his own time, get Sha're out of here-"

A sudden pained grunt from the older Jackson brought Danny to a halt. "You okay?" he asked.

Daniel blinked. "Yeah…s-sorry…" he fumbled, hoping that his face wasn't revealing what he was feeling now. Oh how he wished they really could free Sha're now, but…

"Look," Daniel said, as Sam and Danny continued to look at him. "We'll get out of here, I promise. I'm not sure exactly how or when anymore, but…just trust me okay? Don't do anything rash."

"That's easy for you to say," Danny scowled. "You at least have some idea of how much longer we're going to be stuck here; we don't have ay idea whatsoever."

"I'm sorry; you know I can't…"

"We know," Sam answered quickly. "Danny, he's right. Maybe we should just be patient a little longer."

The younger Jackson shifted uncomfortably, wincing. Finally he nodded. "Fine," he conceded. Before he had a chance to say anything else though, a faint, distant and yet somehow familiar sound interrupted him.

"What was that?" Daniel asked, grimacing as he tried to lift his upper body enough to look out into the hallway.

Carter gently pushed him back down and stood. "I'm not sure, but…"

Danny grunted as he started to stand as well. "Ya think…?"

Sam nodded slowly, her eyes wide. "Yeah. I think so."

* * *

"Queen Amaunet! There is trouble!"

Amaunet turned at the sound of her name being called to see an alarmed young jaffa hurrying approach her. "What is it?" she demanded.

The man bowed hurriedly, then straightened again and made his report. "My Lady, the compound is being infiltrated-"

"What!" she growled, her eyes flaring. "Again? That is impossible!"

"N-no, My Lady. It is true, but this time the invasion comes through the Chappa'ai."

The Goa'uld's eyes narrowed. "The Tau'ri?"

The jaffa nodded. "Yes, My Queen. It is the Tau'ri. It appears to be the remaining members of SG-1, another human team, and a few Tok'ra. They came through only a moment ago, and we have not yet alerted them that we know they are here. They are still in the main chamber. What would you have us do, My Lady?"

"Do not engage them yet. Let them believe we are still ignorant of their presence. There is something I must do before they are fought back."

"What is that, My Lady? If you require assistance to do this thing, than I and my fellow jaffa are of course always at your service," the young man said, bowing low.

Amaunet smiled; she liked this one. "Yes, I do require you and several more. I cannot take the risk of Daniel Jackson's comrades finding him and escaping with him; not after all the trouble I have gone to to bring him here so I could kill him. I had hoped to keep him alive a few days longer, to gain information from him, both of them, but if that cannot happen, then so be it. He must die now, before this chance to rid myself of the nuisance of his existence disappears."

"Are you certain, My Queen? We could learn of the future from the older one…"

"Yes, and it is regrettable that _that_ chance will be lost, but at least he will be gone, and we will still have the woman to question about what the Tau'ri are up to in this time."

The jaffa bowed his head again. "Yes, Lady Amaunet."

* * *

Jack O'Neill looked around cautiously as the last members of the rescue mission stepped through the gate and it deactivated behind them, though he didn't relax even when he saw no jaffa in the immediate vicinity. They were here somewhere, and the teams probably didn't have much more time before they were discovered.

O'Neill nodded to Teal'c, who continued to scan the room and check the exits with the others as he, Jacob Carter, and Doctor Fraiser approached the open crate they had spotted on the M.A.L.P. telemetry that had caught their interest. Once next to it, he poked through its contents with the barrel of his gun.

"It's their things all right," Janet confirmed quietly, picking up the GDO that lay on top.

"Which means they're here," Jack agreed. He was at the same time relieved that they knew for sure where they were now and worried for they're safety because where they were was a Goa'uld facility.

"It also means that we'd better find them fast," Jacob added. "They could be hurt."

"_That's_ why we brought the doc along."

"I thought we brought her along because she insisted," Jacob smiled, glancing at Fraiser, who smiled back at him.

"There's that," O'Neill granted.

"All right, enough talking about why I'm here," Janet intervened. "Shouldn't we be rescuing Sam and Daniel?"

"Right," Jack said. "Okay…we shouldn't leave the Goa'uld with this," he said, sticking the GDO into his vest. Then he continued to look through the box. The only other items in it were Carter and Jackson's vests, and their guns--Carter's, which was identical to his, and Daniel's much smaller handheld. He handed Carter's gun to her father and put Daniel's in his own belt. "They might need those once we find them," he commented briefly. "Their zats are gone, but I guess I should have expected that."

Jacob nodded. "The Goa'uld can use zats, but would have had no use for your primitive projectile weapons."

Jack shot the older man a look. "Hey, you used to use our 'primitive projectile weapons' too Mr. Air-Force-Guy-gone-alien."

The Tok'ra shrugged. "Sorry, Jack; I've got a new perspective now, remember?"

O'Neill rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just get going." Then he looked toward the edge of the room. "Teal'c, everything still clear?"

The jaffa nodded. "It is, O'Neill, but I would not expect it to be so for much longer. I suggest we move out."

"Good idea."

* * *

"Anything yet?" Sam asked.

Danny shook his head from where he leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the door from her. "No. Nothing from your direction?" Carter confirmed. "Good," Jackson said. Sam was on one side of the door, facing deeper into the compound, watching for jaffa, and he was on the other side facing the direction of the 'gate room, the direction they hoped to see Jack and Teal'c coming from.

No one had appeared yet, however, and though disappointment was beginning to set in, at least no jaffa had shown up for any reason. Danny was almost starting to feel relief for that when Carter's eyebrows went up.

"Uh-oh," she said simply.

"Uh-oh what?" Danny asked, wincing as he moved away from the wall and turned to looked in the direction she was. That was when he heard the approaching footsteps.

"Jaffa," Daniel stated in bland annoyance from where he lay. Sure enough, a moment later several rounded the corner, Amaunet in their midst.

"Darn it," Danny hissed as he saw that his older counterpart was right. "What do they want?"

Carter sighed. "Maybe it really wasn't our people who came through the 'gate."

"Great. Now what?"

"They'll come," Daniel said confidently. "I just…hope they'll be in time for all of us."

"You and me both," Danny sighed, lowering himself onto the nearest section of the bench to the door. "Though I'm not really sure you and me qualify as _both_…"

Daniel smiled, but suddenly grimaced again when he felt his body automatically try to laugh. Instead of a laugh a strangled cry of pain issued, and Sam whirled to face him in alarm.

"Daniel?"

"I'm…o-okay," he gulped. He closed his eyes for a moment to catch his breath, and then glanced back toward Danny, who's eyes were now wide.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly before his older self could say anything.

"It's okay; just…try not to make me laugh anymore, okay?"

Danny flinched. "Yeah. Sorry, didn't mean to…" He trailed off when he saw that the door had begun to open. A moment later it was out of the way and several jaffa had flooded the holding room. Carter stiffened as two of them took her arms, and Danny yelped in pain as two more jerked him back to his feet.

From there, everything happened quickly. Amaunet nodded to the remaining three jaffa, who headed for Daniel and started to pull him up off the bench to his shouts of pain.

"What are you doing! Leave him alone; he's in no condition for you to be doing that!" Sam cried in alarm. She glared at Amaunet as she stopped in front of her. "What do you want? What's going on?"

A sudden scream from near the back of the room brought Sam attention back to Daniel before she could get answer. As she turned her head, she caught a glimpse of a satisfactory smile from Amaunet, and when she had turned she say why. Two of the three jaffa who had pulled the older Daniel up were holding him up as the other started to pummel him again--not a good idea at all in his present condition, but then again they certainly didn't have the prisoner's best interests in mind.

"No! Don't! You'll kill him!" Sam shouted, struggling against the two guards who had hold of her.

"Exactly the point," Amaunet smiled.

"What!" Carter and Danny said together.

"Of course," Amaunet supplied. "You see, it seems that your friends have found there way to this planet. Therefore, I must fulfill my original aim of killing Daniel Jackson before they can find you. Not that I will allow them to, but I cannot afford to take chances."

"You're kidding," Danny gulped.

"No; I am not," she replied coldly.

"Please-!" Sam begged as the jaffa dropped Daniel and resorted to kicking him. She felt tears in her eyes as both she and Danny continued to protest, but a moment later when his screams faded to nothing the lump in that had formed in her throat stuck, rendering the major unable to breath for a few seconds.

"N-no…" she finally stammered. The jaffa backed away and exited the cell, leaving Daniel's un-moving body on the floor. Sam stared silently for a moment, gulping back tears, but they still blurred her vision, and she couldn't focus enough to see if his chest was still moving. She couldn't tell if he was alive; not that there was much need to. There was little hope he could have survived a beating like that in the condition he'd been in.

Carter whirled back toward Amaunet, fury mounting over the sadness, but before she could open her mouth she found the Goa'uld's ribbon device activating in her face.

Danny tore his eyes away from the still form of his future self when he heard his friend shout in pain. "Sam!" he cried as she dropped to her knees. "Stop it!" he demanded as the beam of the had device continued to bare down on Sam. "You've done enough; leave her alone!" he begged when Amaunet ignored him. Another moment and she still had not listened. "Sha're, please-!"

At that the ribbon device snapped off and Sam slumped, unconscious. As the two jaffa who had held her dropped Carter to the ground and also exited the room, Amaunet turned to Danny, her eyes briefly flaring yellow-white as she scowled at him. She took a step in his direction, bringing her near to the center of the room.

"Bring him to me," she ordered the jaffa who gripped Jackson's arms.

Danny struggled, but the two guards effortlessly pulled him forward to stop just in front of her, and it only left him breathing heavily in pain from his sore middle. Amaunet smiled at him; an expression that sent a shiver of fear down his spine. As he looked at her, in his mind's eye he again saw the un-moving forms of Samantha Carter and his older self, whom he wasn't even sure was alive, and remembered what the Goa'uld had said a few minutes before--that she was here to kill him for good this time.

Suddenly Danny realized that it didn't matter if Daniel was alive or not; if Amaunet killed _him, _his future self would cease to exist. He gulped hard.

_Oh…'crap'._


	22. Disaster

I hope everyone enjoys this new chapter. I think it's the longest one so far, and I still had to cut it off earlier than I had wanted to and leave it for the begining of the next chapter. Oh yes...and only one review showed up for the last chapter, from the ever faithful devianttart! Thanks girl! Please review. I know you all must have been busy as it was July 4th weekend, but it's not anymore so I hope you all can read and review. Reviews help so much! Not to mention that the way this chapter is...I definately need to know what you think. :)

Chapter 22

Something told Danny he was doomed.

"L-Look, you-" his breath clogged in his throat when he saw her pull a dagger from her robes. "You d-don't have to do this," he stammered, pulling harder on his human restraints. The jaffas' grip tightened and moved closer to him, keeping him from moving much at all.

The Goa'uld gave him a condescending stare. "I see no other alternative. You will continue to bother me until I am out of this host or one of us is dead, and my host will continue to trouble me until you are dead. This is the only way to rid myself of my problem." She smiled again, "And I see nothing wrong with it."

_Well I do. _Panic started to edge its way into Danny's thoughts, but he shoved it aside for another matter. "What about Sam?" he asked shakily.

"She will remain alive--for now. We still have use for her; she has information we need--the information you would not give us."

Danny stiffened. _No._ "No," he said aloud, through gritted teeth. "Leave her alone."

Amaunet's eyebrows rose at his audacity. "You cannot prevent me from questioning her if you are dead."

Jackson had no argument to counter that, but he would not back down from her. "Let me talk to my wife" he demanded, his teeth no longer grinding together but his jaw still clenched, working in fury. He should have been feeling fear much more strongly at this point, but the anger overrode it. He didn't want to die, only to leave Sam to be tortured as he had been, with the possibility of Jack and Teal'c being captured as well.

"No!" Amaunet said loudly, her eyes flashing again. "She has done enough talking in the past two days--no more!" Her fingers clenched around the hilt of the knife in her hand not covered by the ribbon device. "It is your time to die, Daniel Jackson, and may Osiris have you thrown to Ammut in the underworld!"

At the mention of the characters of Ancient Egyptian myth, the anthropologist in Daniel automatically began to wonder if the Goa'uld had not only taken on the personages of the gods of Egyptian mythology but had begun to believe it, or if the expression was just that--an expression, but his thoughts quickly stopped when he realized exactly _what_ she had said and the intensity with which she had said it.

"No, wait-!" he cried, trying to back away, but of course failing.

Amaunet's smile returned. "Goodbye, Doctor Jackson."

Danny pulled again, desperately, at his captors' grip, but it was useless. Seconds later the Goa'uld had thrust forward with the dagger, burying it hilt-deep in his abdomen with skilled precision.

Jackson gasped in shock as pain ripped through his torso, and grunted loudly when Amaunet slipped the knife out. His face contorted with pain, and his knees crumpled as blood began to blossom out from where she had stabbed him, staining his jacket. But the jaffa on either side wouldn't let him go down, and held the gasping archaeologist up. _Oh no; she's not going to do that again, is she? _The thought alone made him groan aloud, which Amaunet seem to enjoy.

When the Goa'uld drew back as if to stab at him again and Danny flinched, and with the movement he was able to gather that he was already losing strength.

"N-No…" he stammered, but in didn't prevent the knife from being shoved into his stomach again. This time Amaunet gave the weapon a brutal twist before removing it, bringing a scream from her victim's throat and tears to his eyes. Then, nodding to her jaffa, they released him, letting the young scientist drop to the floor.

Danny cried out again upon impact, and, gasping, curled into a protective ball, his arms going around his stomach and tightening even though it was painful in what he already knew would be a futile attempt to quell the bleeding. Tears stung his eyes as through a haze of pain he heard Amaunet order all the jaffa to leave her, to send word to begin the assault on the Tau'ri and Tok'ra forces that were invading her stronghold. The guards' retreating footsteps pounded in his head in time with the throbbing agony in his torso.

Jackson heard Amaunet start back toward him, but he didn't dare open his eyes for fear of being hurt more if she knew he was conscious, though the fish-out-of-water breathing was probably a giveaway…

Amaunet's footsteps stopped. The low gasp of the Goa'uld sounded as he also heard a clatter that he assumed was her dagger hitting the floor. But to his surprise a moment later he heard Amaunet's gasps of surprise and what might have been pain fade to human breaths--disoriented, but human.

His breath catching in his throat, Danny forced his eyes open to see his wife staggering away from the wall, surprise on her face--he assumed the surprise stemmed from actually being in control of her body again, and not in pain this time, thank goodness. Jackson pulled in a shaky breath at the sight of her, struggling to gulp back the tears that had gathered.

"Sha're…" he gasped.

Danny's voice brought her attention quickly to him, and she bit back a sob.

"Dan'iel!" she cried, hurrying to his side and kneeling beside him. Without hesitation she slipped an arm under his shoulders and gently pulled his upper body off the cold floor and into her arms. Streaks of intensified pain shot through his abdomen from the movement, and he moaned, his eyes clenching shut. When he was secure in her grasp Danny went limp against her, welcoming the warmth, which helped to counter the overwhelming coldness slowly taking over his body as he lost blood. "Dan'iel, I am sorry. I-I could not stop her. I _tried_ Dan'iel, I _tried_, but she did this. It's my fault, Dan'iel, I'm so sorry…" she sobbed, holding him.

Danny's eyes opened gain and he looked at her, comforted just by the fact that she was there and she was herself, even if she could do nothing for him but hold him. He brought his hand up toward her face. His arm trembled, but he managed to cup her cheek. He was able to speak, but his words were broken every few seconds from his heavy breathing.

"No…Sha're, you have to…stop blaming yourself for…for what Amaunet does…I don't care what…s-she's done to me; I-I love you…" He choked off his words, frustrated with how shaky his voice was. He gulped. "I love you."

Sha're swallowed another sob and stroked his slightly sweat-dampened hair with her free hand that wasn't supporting him. "I love you, Dan'iel…Please hold on. The…the sarcophagus," she said. "If I can bring you there…"

Danny shook his head slowly as he realized the situation and suddenly realized what he had to do. A lump formed in his throat. "No…" he said quietly.

"But why, my husband? You-you're dying, Dan'iel! I won't lose you…" she gulped.

"Our friends are here…remember? Amaunet has her jaffa attacking them, which…which means security will be that much tighter everywhere…else with invaders in the compound…" Jackson said, sounding much calmer than he would have expected himself to be when signing his own death warrant. "There's no way you could…get me there; they would know it was…you, not her. It's too risky…I can't let you. Besides, I don't…I don't really want to…use one of those things again…And…we can't just leave them here…."

He nodded toward Sam and his older self; both were still unconscious…or otherwise. Then he looked into her sad eyes, feigning a small smile even as tears threatened to escape. "It's okay…r-really." He brushed at her hair. "I'm just glad I saw you again…I love you, but you…you have to go, Sha're. Take Sam with you, find Jack…and Teal'c, and get _out_ of here. They'll help you…" Trailing off, his eyes drifted shut and his hand drifted down from her cheek to her shoulder. The pain was clouding his mind, and he was getting weaker. It was slowly becoming harder and harder to speak, to think straight; his body was growing colder, more exhausted, as his blood left it.

"N-No, Dan'iel," Sha're sobbed, now crying again, and shaking her head. "I won't leave you. I will not let you die. I won't…Dan'iel? Dan'iel, hold on, please-!"

Danny moaned and pried his eyes open again. "Sha're, I'm sorry," he gasped, gripping the fabric of her robes tightly between his fingers.

"I will not leave you, my husband," Sha're said quietly, holding him tighter, offering what comfort she could from the pain. It was becoming harder to keep the tears back, and the lump in Danny's throat started to hurt.

"S-Sha're, please," he pleaded weakly, his voice faltering. "Please, just…go before it's too…too late, before Amaunet takes control…again or you can't get out…please, Sha're. I love you; I want you to be…safe. I want you to be free-" His voice broke completely there, not wanting to say goodbye to her for good, but finally, at least, it seemed that she was giving in. It seemed she realized that she wasn't going to change his mind.

Nodding in defeat, Sha're leaned closer to him. His lips found hers, and as Danny kissed her, the tears began to spill from his eyes and down his cheeks.

* * *

Jack O'Neill stiffened when he heard the faint, familiar but unwelcome sound that the teams could just now pick up as they progressed silently through the corridors of the Goa'uld facility.

"Jaffa approach, O'Neill," Teal'c advised quietly.

"Yeah, I hear them," Jack whispered back, his hands tightening around his P-90.

"Perfect," Fraiser mumbled.

"Is there any way to avoid them?" Jacob asked quietly.

Teal'c shook his head. "Not here. I do not believe we have any choice but to engage them should they continue in this direction."

"You sure about that, Teal'c?" O'Neill questioned. "Which direction are they coming _from_?"

The larger man tilted his head for a moment, and the raised an eyebrow. "Virtually all, O'Neill, except from behind us."

"Darn it," the colonel spat. He remained silent for a moment and then looked to Jacob Carter. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do, Jacob. We're going to split up. Teal'c and I will go this way with our people," he said, nodding in one direction, "and you take yours the other way. Maintain radio silence as a general rule so as not to give away the others position, but whoever finds Daniel and Carter reports immediately. All right?"

Carter nodded. "Sounds like as good a plan as any." The ex air force officer threw off a lazy salute. "Good luck, colonel."

"Good luck to you too, you crazy old snake head you," Jack grinned, starting to move off and motioning the SGC personnel to follow.

The Tok'ra smiled back. "Why thank you, O'Neill," Selmak replied, but the twinkle in his eye was Jacob's.

Shaking his head at how well the two got along--human and symbiote--even though they had not yet been joined for a full year, Jack continued along his chosen route as Jacob and his few Tok'ra colleagues went the opposite direction. Behind O'Neill Teal'c, Janet, Colonel Makepeace and the rest of SG-3 followed, all steeled for a battle if it was necessary, but Jack hoped they would reach their friends before the jaffa reached them.

* * *

Sha're pulled back from the kiss, and Danny looked up at her as she tried to give him a smile. But his eyes grew wide when her face faltered, snapping back as she gasped. He knew by now what was happening.

"Sha're, hold on!" he rasped weakly, but urgently, gulping back the tears again to speak. "Stay in…control, just a little longer…please!"

Her free hand went to her head as she cried out in pain as the Goa'uld pried its way to the surface, pushing her down. "Dan'iel, I cannot!" she choked. "I-I'm sorry, Dan'iel; I love yo-" Her sobbed words cut off before she could finish, and suddenly her eyes glowed again.

Danny barely had time to feel a reaction before Amaunet pulled away from him, removing her hand from behind his back and letting him drop back to floor. He groaned loudly, and looked up at her, gasping in pain again, as she stood.

"No, please," Jackson begged, too weak to care if he sounded pitiful or not. "Please, let her come back…"

"Silence!" the Goa'uld shouted, lashing out with her foot. She caught him in the chest, avoiding the bleeding wounds in his abdomen but still succeeding in knocking the wind from him and causing him to shout and double over in agony.

Amaunet sneered at the dying human, writhing on the floor as he struggled to bring air back into his lungs despite the searing pain from his middle. "Within minutes you will be dead," she smirked. "And then my troubles will be over."

"N-No they won't…" Danny gasped through his sobs of pain, his voice barely above a whisper. "They've just begun."

The Goa'uld said nothing, but stared in disbelief at the defiant human as he weakly turned his head up from the floor to look at her, tears streaming down his cheeks as he squeezed his words in between the heaving of his chest. "She'll still …fight you….Maybe I'll be…gone, but…she still…has a father…and her brother…is out there somewhere…and…her child…. You've accomplished…nothing…"

Danny felt the hot tears on face, warmer than the rest of his body, and the excruciating pain almost felt away for a moment as he spoke, forcing out what would probably be his last words as his emotions tumbled out and stumbled over each other. He knew he was dying, and in that one moment as he spoke to Amaunet, telling this Goa'uld what he thought of her and at the same time assuring himself and Sha're that she would still be free someday, if not with him, he felt like laughing, crying, shouting in anger and screaming in pain at the same time.

"She won't give up," he said vehemently. "Sha're is…strong. If…if anything, this will…will make her fight…harder. She'll defeat you…someday. She'll win. And this…this will be…worth it-" Jackson's voice chocked on the last words, but it didn't matter, because he was finished. His eyes slipped shut again, and he bit back another sob, determined not to cry any more in front of the Goa'uld as he concentrated on bringing in oxygen.

Amaunet glared down at him. "I do not have to listen to your foolishness, human," she said. "Both of you will soon be gone." That was when her attention veered to back of room as she remembered the older Daniel.

Stepping around the dying younger man, she approached the un-moving body of his older self. She frowned when she saw that he was still alive. He struggled to breath through a broken rib cage with closed eyes, barely conscious and near death, but he was alive nonetheless, even though he wasn't aware of her standing over him. For a moment she pondered reclaiming her dagger and using it to assure his death, but quickly deemed it an unnecessary expenditure pf energy, as he would cease to exist the moment his younger self died, if not before.

Amaunet then stepped out of the holding cell, but stopped at the door and turned, a smirk on her face. "Goodbye again, Daniel Jackson. I look forward to never seeing you alive, again."

With that parting sentence, she touched the door controls, and as the opening closed she spun on her heel and quickly left without looking back.

Danny was left on the floor, fighting for his life, and as she disappeared from view, out of his reach once more, he broke into tears again. _Sha're, I'm so sorry,_ he thought once again, sobbing pitifully. _I tried to save you. I tried, but again I failed. And now it's all over…. Please forgive me, Sha're, I love you…

* * *

_

Samantha Carter groaned as consciousness returned, bringing with in a splitting head gained from being knocked out by Amaunet's ribbon device. Grimacing, she pulled one hand up to her forehead, trying to get past the pounding and remember why there was an impending sense of doom hanging over head. A moment later her eyes snapped open. _Daniel._ Sitting up as quickly as she dared, she looked around for him.

Carter saw Danny first, curled on the floor with his back to her, sobbing quietly. She pulled in a breath as a sudden streak of panic flashed through her as she wondered _how_ badly _he_ was hurt. She quickly pushed it down, however, promising herself that she would get to him as soon as could, once she checked on Daniel. After all, the last time she had seen the older Jackson, he had been lying motionless on the ground, beaten down by Amaunet's jaffa, and she hadn't known whether he was alive or not. She had to find out. Turning, she saw that he was still laying in the same spot, and quickly crawled over to him.

Sam had been afraid that she was going to check his pulse and find nothing, but before she had a chance to his labored breathing told her he was still alive, and she slumped beside him, sighing. The hand that had been going toward his neck went instead to cheek.

"Daniel?" she said quietly, trying to wake him without moving him because she knew he would be hurting. "Daniel, can you hear me?"

The older man moaned, and a moment later his eyes fluttered open. It took a few seconds longer for recognition to register in his eyes.

"Daniel?"

His eyes closed again, and she was afraid she hadn't seen the recognition she thought she'd seen in his expression. But then he spoke, though his voice was barely audible. "I'm St-till here...Sam…" he rasped. He moaned again, and Sam used her other hand to take his for a moment.

"Hold on, okay?" she gulped, her chest tightening. "I have to check on Danny. I don't know how badly he's hurt. But I'll still be close, okay? Don't die on me, understand?"

Daniel nodded weakly, his eyes still closed, but when she started to move off again his hand suddenly gripped hers more tightly.

"Daniel? What is it?" She looked back at him to see his eyes open again and on her. "Daniel?"

After another few seconds he spoke softly, his eyes intense. "Sam…I don't know…what she…did to him…," he gasped. "But you have to…to keep him…alive. Or…or we're both dead. I'll…cease to exist."

Sam nodded, but couldn't respond. Daniel's eyes closed again, and she slipped her hand out of his and turned to the younger Jackson, in the middle of the floor not far from her. Scooting up behind him on her knees, she touched his trembling shoulder and carefully turned him toward her. "Danny, you okay-?"

She stopped in mid sentence, the words clogging in her throat when saw all the…the blood. It took a few seconds more for her eyes to find the two wounds in his middle, one larger than the other, take in his pale skin, shallow breathing, the amount of blood that soaked the front of his jacket and half the sleeves where he'd had them wrapped around his abdomen…and could easily gather what Amaunet had done to him.

Carter blanched, chocking back a sob. "Oh no…" Putting an arm under his limp shoulders, she gently pulled him up, letting him rest on her knees. He moaned pitifully, but made no other sound, and didn't open his eyes. "Darn it, Daniel, no," Sam cried in alarm. "Come on, Danny, look at me." She took his hand with one of hers and squeezed, and wiped her other hand across his sweaty forehead. He was trembling, probably going into shock, and tears still rolled down his cheeks.

"It's okay, it's okay," she soothed, though not all of her believed it. "I'm right here, Danny, it's all right. Please, talk to me…"

Finally she got a response when he opened his eyes and looked at her. "S-Sam, I couldn't…I couldn't help her," he gasped. "I saw…Sha're again, but I…couldn't do anything. N-Now I'll…I'll never get another chance," he cried.

Sam held onto him tighter, hoping to give more comfort. "Don't say that," she said quietly, swallowing hard. "You can make it. The colonel and Teal'c are here now, remember? Just hold on until they find us and we can get back to the SGC. Janet will take care of you, okay?"

Jackson's tears slowly subsided at that, sensing the glimmer of hope, but at the same time all knew the chances weren't the best. A moment later Carter heard a sound beside her, and looked just behind her to see that Daniel had pulled himself over to them. Reaching out a hand to him, the older Jackson took it, pulled himself up her arm and leaned against her, gulping for air as he grimaced in pain. It almost made her smile, seeing how stubborn he still was even in the future, even here, even after what he'd been through the past couple of days, even though he probably wouldn't even be alive much longer, if even in existence…

Sam stopped herself there, not wanting to think about the possibility that she might lose Daniel twice in one day if the rescue team didn't hurry, that it might already be too late.

"This is…really bad," Daniel voiced from his perch on her shoulder, when he saw what had been done to his younger self.

"Ya…think?" Danny replied weakly.

One arm around Daniel, her other hand still holding Danny's, Carter squeezed gently, reassuringly, she hoped. "Just hold on, Daniel—both of you," she urged quietly, blinking back tears.


	23. Gone

Okay, forget the last chapter-this one is 'defiantely' the longest so far! I think that'll make you readers happy. Yay! I hope you like this chapter, and please review, because there are some crucial points I would love to have opinions on. You'll probably know them when you see them, lol. Please review! Thanks to everyone ho has already, and please continue to do so!

Chapter 23

Sam saw the two Jacksons look at each other and, not for the first time, something seemed to pass between them--an understanding, and she could make out the grim line that his and his younger counterpart's mouths formed.

Carter gulped, afraid of what one of them was about to say, but before anymore words were spoken Danny's eyes shut again and he groaned. Seconds later, almost overlapping, Daniel's sudden, surprised cry of pain echoed after. Carter had been looking at Daniel at the time and…had the lights flickered?

"Daniel?" she said with concern.

"G-Great," he gasped. "I was afraid of-of this…"

"Daniel, what's wrong? Danny?" But Danny's eyes remained closed, and beside her, Daniel started to tremble. "Daniel, what's going on!" Sam asked urgently.

"Sam, it's…it's the timeline--it's….changing. I can feel it…Ah!" It happened again--what she thought had been the lights flickering, but this time with also with an almost unnoticeable flash of mixed colors, and she recognized it fro what it was--ECF, Entropy Cascade Failure. The lights hadn't flickered; Daniel had flickered. Sam gasped as she realized what it meant; Danny was dying, and Daniel's existence was failing. Or in other words, the way things were going now didn't make either Jackson's survival look good.

"No!" she cried in alarm, suddenly squeezing Danny's hand much tighter, prompting a whimper from the younger man. Under other circumstances the major would have apologized, but right now she wanted him as awake and aware as possible. "Danny, listen to me. You have to hold on, you hear me? For both of you, Danny, please!"

"He knows…" Daniel said quietly, looking away. It was then that Danny's eyes opened again.

"Sam, it's too…late," Danny gulped, tears gathering in his eyes again. "You…c-can't try to…take us with you…when Jack and Teal'c…get here--too risky…slow you…down. Just go…" and his eyes closed once more. So that was what one of them had been about to say. Carter frowned.

"Danny, no, we're not going to leave you behind. You know the colonel won't go for that."

"Sam, you don't…understand…" Daniel said. "There…there may be nothing…to leave behind…Not of me, anyway…" He trailed off and gasped as the world flickered around him again, seeming to make his point. But that didn't mean Sam was going to accept it. She was _not _going to let one of her best friends die, darnit. She started to say something else in protest, but before she could she was interrupted by the sound of multiple footsteps rounding the corner outside, and then of the door opening.

"Carter!" a familiar voice called. Sam looked up surprise to see Jack O'Neill squeezing through barely opened door before it had a chance to finish moving.

"Colonel!" she cried in surprise. "Colonel am I glad to see you! Daniel-"

But O'Neill had already seen what was wrong with Danny, and she could see the color drain from his face as he dropped to the ground beside the younger man.

"Aww, crap, Daniel…" Jack groaned as he knelt over his friend, looking over the wounds, all attention suddenly on his friend. She saw him visibly gulp when he realized how bad they were. "Carter, what happened?" he asked hoarsely.

"I-It's a long story, sir. I think we should just get them back them back to the SGC as quickly as possible…"

"Sam, no…" the older Jackson protested weakly from her shoulder.

Jack suddenly looked up at the voice, realizing for the first time that there was a third prisoner in the holding cell. "What? Carter, who's your…friend-yow!" O'Neill physically snapped backward, landing on his rear and staring in disbelief at the older version of Daniel Jackson. "Major, what the heck is going on here….?"

Somehow Daniel managed a showdown of a smile. "Nice to see you too, Jack."

Jack looked to Sam. "Don't tell me it's alternate universes again…"

She shook her. "No sir. This _is_ Daniel…from the, uhm, from the future…"

O'Neill looked back at the older Daniel as he pushed himself back up onto his knees. "Right…Geez, nothing's ever simple anymore, is it?" But he quickly forgot his confusion and turned his attention back to Danny, who was now looking up at him.

"Jack…?"

"Yeah, I'm right here Danny-boy. Don't worry; we're gonna get all three of you outta here, okay?" _And we'd better get a move on before those jaffa catch up to us…_he added silently.

A sudden weak grip closed around O'Neill's wrist. "No Jack…just...take Sam and…and go," Danny gasped softly.

Jack stared at him. "Are you crazy? I am not leaving you behind-" He stopped when Danny's eyes clenched shut with a hiss of pain, and Daniel shouted as he began to flicker again, though it was the first this O'Neill had seen this. "Doc!" he shouted over his shoulder! Where are you! You'd better get in here-" He cut himself off again when Janet Fraiser caught up and followed him into the holding cell.

"I'm right here, colonel. Teal'c and SG-3 are at the corner watching for jaffa. We can hear them now, sir. We don't have much time….oh no…" Janet stopped in her track halfway into the cell when she saw Danny, but quickly composed herself and rushed to her new patient, pulling her pack off her back.

As Fraiser tried to check over all three prisoners at once, Carter told her what she'd told O'Neill when surprise registered on her face at seeing another Daniel. Thankfully the tremors had stopped again and Daniel was still solid, but now he was even more quiet than usual for some reason, and Sam couldn't help but remember the look on the older man's face the last time she'd mentioned the doctor. As he looked at Janet now, it was making a return appearance.

"Daniel?" she asked quietly.

"N-Nothing," he stammered, but then sucked in a sharp breath when Janet hit particularly sore spot in his ribs as she tried to feel him over in his upright position. He batted her hands away. "No!" he cried, and now there were tears in his eyes as well as Danny's. "All of…you, just…go! We're goners! You'll…never make it…to the gate if you…try to bring us…"

"Listen to us…J'ck…" Danny gasped. "Please…get out of here…"

"Out of the question," O'Neill answered hotly. "Doc, we _can_ get them home, right…?"

Fraiser looked up at him, "Colonel, I…I hate to say this, but if we had gotten here sooner then they'd have a better chance, but now…" She shook her head. "I just don't know. He's lost so much blood, and if this is really his future self, then if Daniel doesn't make it…"

"I know!" O'Neill said in annoyance. "I'm not a scientist like carter, but I get the basic idea. Daniel doesn't survive, no Daniel in the future, and we lose both of them. I _understand_ that, doctor, now how do we prevent it?"

"By leaving _now_ sir," Carter said urgently, and it was then that they realized that the sound of approaching jaffa was growing louder.

"That's it; we're moving out," Jack agreed. Easily slipping an arm under Danny's shoulders as they were elevated in his position laying on Sam's knees, O'Neill started to pick him up when the young man released a startled cry of pain.

"Jack, don't-!" he choked. Grimacing as his friend's face contorted in agony, Jack gently set him back down. "What else do you want me to do, Daniel? We have to get you out of here."

"No. Go."

"No way-"

"Darnit, Jack!" the older Daniel gasped. "I…forgot that you used to…be even more stubborn! Just…just go before those jaffa…close in on you…and you can't!"

Jack looked back and forth between the two Jacksons, knowing that he didn't have time to. Part of his also knew that they were right, but he'd be darned if he'd admit it…

"Jack…pleas…GAH!" Daniel suddenly screamed, sending a chill down O'Neill's spine when his body started to flicker again--and this time it didn't look like it was going to stop.

"Daniel!" Janet yelped.

"No!" Sam cried as the older version of her friend began to fade away beside her.

"Jack! Get them…out of here! Don't…let anyone…else…get hurt!" Daniel gasped through the pain. "Sorry…" And he faded completely away, a swirl of colors blinking out with him. Jack lunged for him, but his hands hit nothing.

Sam grasped at the empty air beside her as tears welled up in her eyes. "Daniel!" she shouted.

O'Neill stared, dumbfounded, at the empty space where another version of his friend had been seconds before. Gulping past the lump that tried to begin forming in his throat, he slowly looked back down at Danny, fearing the worst, but the kid was still alive. Though even though he didn't know much about time-travel theory, astrophysics and such, he did know that if Jackson were close enough to death for his future self to have ceased to exist, there really wasn't anything he could do.

Danny was looking at him, still wide-eyed from seeing himself disappear. The younger man's arms were around his middle again, and Jack could see the pain on his face. He only wished he could wipe it away, fix all this…Daniel couldn't just die, darnit; they'd been through too much together! And in the back ground he could still hear the jaffa drawing ever closer. They had to get out of here _now. _And even though the colonel knew he didn't have much choice, he desperately didn't want to just leave Daniel behind.

Jackson must have seen what was going through his mind, because his expression softened, and then he spoke with a kindness that only someone like Daniel Jackson would have been able to show in his position.

"It's okay, Jack," he said weakly, his voice barely audible anymore. "Just…go."

"Daniel, I-"

"But promise…me something, Jack," Danny added before O'Neill could continue. The colonel nodded, gulping again. "Promise me…that you'll…find Sha're again…." Jack nodded again, still trying to find his voice, and Danny smiled as his eyes drifted shut "Thanks…" And for some reason O'Neill got the feeling that Jackson wasn't thanking him for just the promise, that he wasn't thanking him alone at all, but all of them, for everything…

"Don't worry; we'll find her, Daniel," Jack said quickly, trying to keep the young archaeologist with him a little longer. "She'll be free, okay? You'll have her back; we'll find her together, Danny…Danny? Daniel, come on!"

"Daniel, don't!" Sam yelped

But he had stopped breathing, and when Fraiser checked his pulse, it was gone as well. Hurriedly Sam scooted back, getting her knees out from under him, and she and Janet started CPR.

"Oh, no you don't," Janet breathed. "Come on, Daniel, come on…" But after another minute or two, their efforts had come to no avail.

"Doc, Carter…it's over," Jack whispered.

"Daniel, no," Sam whispered fiercely. She looked up at O'Neill, tears threatening to escape, as if to ask _What do we do now?_

"We…we have to go…"

"But colonel-" Fraiser protested.

"You heard him," Jack interrupted quietly. "If we try to take him with us we'll never make it out of here." Slowly he stood, obsessively gulping at the lump in his throat again. "Let's go."

But neither major nor doctor rose until they did it out of surprise when Teal'c suddenly burst into the room. "O'Neill, we must go! We have no more time!" The large man stopped in his tracks when he saw his unmoving friend on the ground at their feet.

"Daniel Jackson?" he asked hesitantly, looking to O'Neill.

Jack shook his head. "We were…" he stopped and cleared his throat, looking away." We were too late, Teal'c."

Teal'c's usually neutral expression turned to one of despair, and his gaze shifted to Sam. "I am sorry that we were not in time, Samantha Carter," he said quietly. "Perhaps if I had woken O'Neill more quickly this morning…"

"Aww, Teal'c, now's not the time to play the blame game!" Jack said angrily. "Stop it! Let's just move out, okay? We're not gonna be able to avoid those jaffa on the way back to the gate, are we?"

Teal'c shook his head. "No, we are not."

Jack sighed. "Thought so." Then he turned to Sam and Janet, who hadn't said a word. "Come on…campers-" He stopped, surprised, when he choked on the word. Daniel, always a happy camper, the civilian had been the inspiration to use that term with his team…Wow, he had to get out of this room _now_ or he was going to lose it.

Carter nodded and gulped. "Y-yes sir," she said as Janet silently moved toward the door. Sam picked up her jacket from the bench beside her, and then knelt beside Daniel's body. Leaning down, she kissed his forehead before placing the jacket over his face.

"I'm sorry, Danny," she whispered. A single tear found its way from the corner of her eye, and O'Neill just caught site of it as she stood again before she wiped it away and started toward him, still sniffing.

Jack pulled out the gun he'd put in his belt earlier and handed it to her. "Here, I…I think he'd want you to have this…" he said quietly. "Besides, I don't have yours. It's with Jacob."

"M-My dad's here?" Carter started, surprised.

"Yeah, the Tok'ra helped us out some, but we split into two groups to find you. Your dad's with the other group. Though Makepeace has probably contacted them that we found you by now. They'll join us again soon."

"Oh…" Sam said, but now she was staring again at the Beretta in her hands, Daniel's preferred weapon. Not that the archaeologist had really preferred weapons at all, but he had to have one off-world, and this was the one he used. Sam blinked back tears. She couldn't dot his now. Now was not the time to get emotional. She knew that it might seem relatively quiet now, but they still had to fight their way out of here. They still had to get home. She could grieve later…

Jack briefly put a hand on his second in command's shoulder. "Come on, Carter, let's get going…"

Sam quickly ran a sleeve over her eyes again and nodded, "Yes sir."

The sound of a staff blast from down the corridor brought them all to full attention. "Let's move!" O'Neill shouted. The remaining members of SG-1 and Doctor Janet Fraiser bounded out of the holding cell and down to the corner where Makepeace and SG-3 were stationed.

"Sir, it's down the corridor!" Makepeace reported. "The Tok'ra contingent ran into trouble on the way back to us."

O'Neill and Carter glanced around the curve to see a minor battle raging.

"Dad!" Sam cried in alarm, spotting her father among the combatants.

"Calm down, Carter, we're going to help them," Jack confirmed.

"Where's Doctor Jackson?" Makepeace questioned.

Jack hesitated for a couple of seconds "Doctor Jackson's gone," he said quietly.

The commander of SG-3 frowned and nodded, and then O'Neill gave the signal to move in.

* * *

_Déjà vu again, _Daniel thought in amusement. To his surprise, instead of the image of jack, Sam, Janet, and his younger self becoming nothing as he faded from existence, for the second time in only a span of months he found himself stepping through the swinging glass door of a certain diner he had once been to. But this time there were no customers. His clothes had not changed; he still wore his black BDU's. His glasses were still missing too, though he could see perfectly fine. He supposed sight was different when one was dead…or was he?

He couldn't think of any other explanation. His injuries were gone, and the one being who might have brought him here was gone now, destroyed stopping Anubis, and even though this wasn't his time it simply couldn't be…

"Daniel."

Jackson froze when he head the familiar voice that came from behind him. Slowly he turned, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the softly glowing, red-haired woman behind him.

"Oma?" he said in surprise.

She smiled. "So you do know me."

"O-Of course I know, you, Oma, what's going on? I thought you were-"

Oma Desala held up a hand to stop him. "No. Do not tell me what has happened to me in the future. I should not know."

Suddenly Daniel understood--well, who she was, anyway. "Oh…you're not the Oma I know…"

She nodded. "You are correct. Though I supposed that since I have been charged with the care of your wife's child that our eventual meeting would be inevitable."

Daniel nodded in return. "Right…so…what am I doing here? Why did you take the chance that I wouldn't know you? Because if I didn't, you'd be giving away a lot right now that I'm sure the others like you wouldn't want me to know…"

"I know that, but you deserved to know what I brought you here to tell you."

"Uh…oh, well….Wait a minute, how could you have brought me here? I'm _dead_ for cryin' out loud. I don't even exist for you to bring…"

"Let's say that I pulled you out of the normal flow of time and space before the change in the timeline could completely erase you."

Daniel eyebrows went up. "Ah. Uh, okay…your reason being…?"

"To tell you that it isn't over."

Daniel blinked. "What? What's that supposed to mean? I can't stay here forever, and once I leave I'll be dead…been there, done that."

Oma smiled softly again. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you exactly what I mean, but your journey is not yet over, Daniel Jackson. You will continue."

"Been there, heard that," Daniel muttered, and then spoke up. "Why can't you tell me? I need some kind of idea what's going on…"

"Just be patient, Daniel. I must leave you now, but you will soon know what I mean. Until then, you may wait here."

"But wait-!"

"Goodbye."

"Oma!"

But in the flash of light he'd become so accustomed to, she was gone.

Daniel sighed heavily and sank onto the nearest booth bench. When he spoke, his voice echoed in the empty diner--or rather, whatever odd dimension this was that looked like a diner to him.

"What now?"

* * *

Sam finally caught up to her father as the two factions of the extraction team neared the 'gate. Seeing where he and one of the other Tok'ra had taken cover behind one of the stacks of crates, she ducked behind it with them.

"Sam, there you are!" Jacob said with relief.

"Hi, Dad," Carter greeted him, before leaning around the corner of the crates to squeeze off a couple of shots at their pursuers. Then she turned back to him.

"Where's Daniel?"

Sam froze. When Jacob saw her face go pale he realized that something was wrong.

"Sam?"

The major swallowed hard and looked away. "Dad, he's…he's gone," she said softly.

Jacob stared at her as she fired another shot at the jaffa. When she sat again he spoke.

"Oh, Sam…I'm so sorry…" he said, gulping at the pain in his daughter's eyes.

"Dad, I'm all right," Sam quickly lied, though she was unable to keep her voice from trembling. "Let's just get out of here, okay?"

Jacob sighed and nodded slowly. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Jack O'Neill's voice interrupted him from closer to the 'gate.

"Teal'c, dial us out! Makepeace, send the iris code! Carters! Cover them from where you are!"

Father and daughter smiled at the "Carters" reference. Despite difficulties in their relationship before Jacob had become a Tok'ra, the two now thoroughly enjoyed being related--not to mention being a part of the biggest secret on the planet earth.

"Yes sir!" Sam shouted back. She rose a bit to fire toward the jaffa again, but then realized that the pistol was out of ammunition. Sighing in frustration, she shoved it into her belt and looked questioningly at her father.

"Oh!" Jacob said suddenly. "Right, I've got yours, I'm sorry." He his zat down momentarily to pull the P-90 off his belt and hand it to her, and then retrieved his own weapon from the ground and continued firing.

Sam took her gun, checked to make sure the Goa'uld hadn't taken the cartridge out when they'd taken it from her, and then started firing as well. Several jaffa had gone down before they'd gotten this far, so there were fewer of them now, but the fact that they were so close to escape meant that the remaining Goa'uld forces were doing everything they could to keep the Tau'ri team from getting back through the stargate.

The next few minutes were a blur as the firefight lobbed back and forth, until finally the gate opened, and Makepeace had signaled that the code was sent--it was safe to go through. Colonel O'Neill waved Janet Fraiser and SG-3 through first, and then the Tok'ra, until only Sam, Jacob, Teal'c and Jack remained.

"Okay, Jacob, get her out of here!" O'Neill ordered. "Teal'c and I have your six!"

And then Sam and her father were running toward the gate. She could still here shooting, and the colonel telling them to hurry, but then a staff blast shot by her so close she could feel it. It impacted the wall to her left, but a sudden pain in her arm made her look down to she that it had been shaved by the blast. The skin on her right forearm was charred and bloody, and it hurt terribly.

"Sam, you're hit!" Jacob cried in alarm.

He tried to get her through the gate immediately, but just in front of the event horizon, suddenly a flash of anger overtook her, and she turned and fired at the jaffa the shot had originated from, screaming, her weapon on automatic mode. The jaffa went down, but bullets were still impacting his body.

"Sam, that's enough!" Jacob said urgently. "Let's go!"

"Carter!" O'Neill yelled over the din.

"That'll teach you to _leave my friends alone_!" Sam shouted, and she would have continued shooting if Jacob hadn't twisted the gun from her hands and pulled her through the 'gate.

Jack watched them go, concerned, and then turned to Teal'c.

"Okay, T, let's blow this popsicle stand!" he called.

The larger man nodded and turned, firing once or twice behind him again before bounding through the shimmering blue surface of the open stargate. O'Neill followed right after him.

Less than a second later he stumbled through the earth 'gate onto the ramp.

"Close the iris!" he shouted up to control room. Walter responded immediately, and almost the before the words had left his mouth Jack heard it sliding shut behind him. He would have relaxed them, but that was when he spotted Samantha Carter at the end of the ramp.

Sam stepped of the metal grating to the floor, and there her legs gave out as she sank onto the end of the ramp. Jacob sat down beside her as Janet crouched in front of her to examine her arm.

"It's just superficial," Fraiser reported quietly. "Once it's cleaned and bandaged it should be fine in a few days."

Sam nodded weakly as her head lowered to Jacob's shoulder and his arm went around her shoulders. Jack sat down on the other side of her as General Hammond approached them.

"Carter…?" "Jacked asked. "You okay?"

Sam's eyes closed. "How could I be okay, sir? Daniel's gone…"

Jack grimaced and looked up at the general, who no longer needed the asked where the SGC's resident archaeologist was. Hammond sighed and spoke softly.

"De-brief in two hours, colonel," he said, and then quietly left them alone

"Come on, Sam, let's get you to them infirmary," Fraiser suggested gently.

Nodding silently, the major stood and allowed her father to lead her from the 'gate room, with an almost equally subdued Janet not far behind.

Soon Jack O'Neill was left alone, standing in front of the stargate. It had deactivated, the iris had opened again, and all was quiet. Grimly O'Neill looked toward the huge, inanimate gray ring. Usually the device was a good thing to have, but today it had spelled the end of his best friend. An image flashed unbidden through his mind of Daniel's bloodied, unmoving body. "Thanks", he'd said before his eyes had closed for the last time. _Thanks for what? I let you die. _

Tears pushed to get out at the corners of his eyes, and Jack blinked them back in frustration. _After all we've been through, all the times you've come back…I never thought I'd see the day…_

"Come on, Daniel," Jackwhispered. "Now would be a good time for you to pull one of those miracles out of your hat for us."


	24. Sorrow

Sorry this chapter is so short, kinda like chapter 6, but like that one, it's kinda a transition thing, You'll see what I mean, and even more so once the chapter 25 is up. So please just enjoy this chapter for now, and please review so that I can get 25 done faster! Thanks:)

Chapter 24

Jack O'Neill walked into the infirmary to check on Carter, and found the major sitting despondently on the edge of one of the beds, her sleeves pushed up and her injured arm well bandaged. As usual, Janet Fraiser was taking good care of his team. He couldn't blame her for what had happened to Daniel; she'd tried. It wasn't her fault they had been too late. Sighing, the colonel made his way over to his second in command.

"Hey," he said, standing in front of her. "How's the arm?"

"It'll be okay," Carter said, not looking up. "Still hurts some, but it's not that bad."

"Ah," O'Neill nodded, rocking back on his heels. "Where's Jacob?"

"Something came up. All the Tok'ra had to leave immediately, but dad said he'd come back as soon as he could--hopefully in time for, Daniel's…uh…" She trailed of, unable to complete the sentence.

_Daniel's memorial service,_ Jack finished in his mind, outwardly flinching at the words. "Yeah…So…you gonna be okay?"

Sam's shoulders only slumped farther. "Not for a while," she answered quietly.

Jack sighed and slowly sat down beside her. "Carter…this isn't your fault."

She looked at him quickly. "What…?"

He raised a finger. "Don't give me that 'what'. I know when you're feeling guilty, Carter. I've seen it enough." Sam gulped and looked back down at her hands as he continued. "If there was anything you could've possibly done to prevent what happened, you would have done it."

Carter nodded wearily. "Yes sir. I know, it's just…Y-you didn't happen to catch a glimpse of the local Goa'uld, did you?"

"Well, they were serpent guard, Apophis's guys. Anybody could have commandeered his forces by now….and…well, no. We were kinda too busy rescuing you…" The colonel grimaced. "Some rescue huh?"

Carter pulled in a shaky breath. "It was Amaunet, sir," she informed him quietly.

O'Neill's face suddenly paled. "What? No…" he said in disbelief. When Carter nodded, his eyes closed. "Oh no. Oh boy, oh _crap._ Wow…poor Daniel…" When he heard Sam choke back a sob his eyes opened. "She did it, didn't she?"

Sam nodded, then pulled her feet up onto the edge of the bed and buried her face in her uninjured arm on her knees. "I-I'd never seen him so…so upset, sir, I…" her voice trailed off from inside where her face was hidden, and this time a real sob escaped. "Daniel's really gone this time, isn't he?"

O'Neill sighed heavily. "It sure looks that way," he admitted.

Carter's voice faded into muffled crying, and the colonel's face suddenly showed only concern.

"Aww, Carter…come here…" Jack said quietly, pulling Sam into his arms.

And all he could do was sit there and hold her while she sobbed, offering what comfort he could that way because he didn't know what to say. What _could_ he say? Daniel was dead. How was he supposed to know what to say to make Carter feel any better when he couldn't make himself feel any better? He felt like crying too.

* * *

Doctor Fraiser looked up from where she sat at her desk when she heard a soft knock on the doorframe. What she saw was General Hammond stepping quietly into her office. Janet stood.

"General," she said in greeting. "Can I help you?"

George Hammond sighed. "How is Major Carter?"

"Her arm will be fine, sir, and I didn't find anything else that could put her health in danger. But beyond that, general…" She shrugged. "She was there when it happened, sir. I'm sure that emotionally she's even worse off than…than the rest of us…"

Hammond nodded. "I know. It's never easy losing people-friends, and even harder to see it happen. But we're all in this together, doctor. Samantha Carter will be all right."

Janet nodded. "Yes sir…"

"Doctor?" Hammond inquired, his voice urging her to continue.

Fraiser stared at her feet. "General…Daniel was still alive when we got there, and I can't help feeling that…"

"-That you could have done more?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm the _doctor_, sir. That's one reason why I went, in case either of them needed immediate medical attention before we brought them back. Dr. Jackson did, but-but I couldn't-"

Janet stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked back up at the general, tears in her eyes.

"Doctor, I don't know exactly what happened yet, but I'm sure you did everything you could. If he was beyond saving, it isn't your fault. You've always taken good care of everyone on this base, and I have every confidence in you."

Fraiser swallowed. "Thank you, sir."

Hammond nodded, and then turned to leave. At the door he stopped and swiveled to face her again. "De-brief is in an hour, doctor."

She nodded. "I'll be there, sir."

Giving her small smile, the general turned again and exited, leaving Doctor Fraiser alone in her office. Sighing, she closed the door to the office and sat down heavily.

She was a professional. She wasn't supposed to become so attached to patients, even those that were as recurring as Daniel Jackson. She wasn't supposed to become this upset. So why wouldn't the lump in her throat go away?

Because she _had_ become attached. Somehow the members of SG-1--all of them--had found their way into Janet's heart. They were her friends, and she didn't regret it at all, though she would miss the one that was gone terribly. There was no reason why she shouldn't allow herself to be sad, and as long as the door was shut…why not? It was all she wanted to do--just to cry. She had plenty of time before the de-briefing, and no other patients at the moment.

Daniel was dead, and she felt horrible. So Janet Fraiser put her face in her hands and cried.

* * *

The room on the Goa'uld mothership was guarded by two jaffa just outside the door. Otherwise it was usually silent and empty of people, with only the sarcophagus at its center. Apophis liked it that way. Amaunet did as well, and she smiled to herself as she stepped inside--as much because of that as because of the fact that today there was also something different about the room.

Off to the side a table stood, and on it lay Daniel Jackson's lifeless body.

Within her, her host rebelled at the sight, pounding against her barriers. She could sense her host's anger and sorrow, and it only satisfied her more. Soon she would give up her rebellion, with nothing left to live for. She was sure of it. Soon her life would be much easier, without having to deal with a restless host. Well…as soon as she had what she needed.

The Tau'ri and Tok'ra were gone, and had managed to escape with the woman, but that no longer bothered her because they, of course, had not been able to save Jackson, and had not taken his body with them. Now, if she revived him, his future self would exist again as well. She could keep them alive as long as she needed to get the information she wanted, before killing them again and leaving them that way. And this time she would never have to worry about his escape or rescue, for his friends believed him dead.

It had been over an hour since she had killed him, however, which meant that already the sarcophagus would not be able to heal him completely. She should not waste any more time…

"Jaffa!" she called, bringing the two from the corridor in.

"My Lady?" they asked simultaneously.

"Place him in the sarcophagus," she ordered, nodding toward Jackson's body. "And then leave us. Do not stay outside the door."

The two bowed. "Yes, Queen Amaunet."

The jaffa obeyed her orders, carrying the body to the device, opening it, and placing Jackson inside. Silently Amaunet watched as the lid slid shut, and Daniel's pale face disappeared. Funny, how a small smile had frozen onto his face. She would never understand humans and their ideals, their emotions…

And deep inside, Sha're wept.

* * *

"Samantha Carter, are you all right?" Teal'c asked as those called to the de-briefing settled around the large table.

Carter nodded wearily, though her face was still a bit pink and she looked exhausted from the stress of what had happened. "I'll be okay…" she gulped quietly.

Nodding, Teal'c slowly sat down opposite her, concern still etched on his face. Beside her, O'Neill briefly put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small, reassuring smile before pulling it away as Hammond entered the conference room.

The general took his seat at the head of the table and looked over those seated before him--the remaining members of SG-1, Janet Fraiser, and SG-3. Both Samantha Carter and the doctor still looked considerably the worse for wear. He eyed them as he began to speak.

"Is everyone sure they can do this now? If we need to re-schedule for tomorrow morning…"

Somehow knowing that Hammond was talking to them, Janet and Sam glanced at each other, and then back at the general.

"It's all right, sir," Sam answered for them. Not that she really _wanted_ to talk about what happened on that planet, any of it, but she could if she needed to-or at least she hoped so.

Hammond nodded, satisfied. "Then we should get started. Why don't start at the beginning. What happened after you stepped through the gate….?"


	25. Daniel's Back Again

All right, here's another nice long chapter! I figured I'd better give you guys a good one, because Sunday I'm leaving for church summer camp and will be gone until next sunday, so it will probably be a couple weeks before I update again. Sorry! But anyway, please enjoy this chapter and please review quickly soI can see them before I leave! Have a great week!

Chapter 25

_No. I will not allow any more of this_, Sha're thought vehemently. _She has hurt him enough! I can not stand by and let her start it all again! _I _will be the one to greet my husband when he wakes!_

She was through crying, through feeling helpless. She gathered her strength, thin though it was from the torment Amaunet had put her through in the last two days because of her rebellion. But that also meant that the Goa'uld was weak from delivering it. She was more easily overcome. She had done it before. She had to do it now, had to get Daniel out of here before Amaunet could cause him further harm. Sha're fought with everything she had and suddenly…

She had won.

Sha're blinked a few times, turned, to be sure that she really had control. She did. She was using her own body again, and it felt good. But how long did she have?

Behind her, a scraping sound caused her to whirl to face the sarcophagus as she realized that it opening. After a moment it had opened enough for her to peer inside, and her heart leaped when she saw her husband's chest moving steadily up and down, breathing once again. Another few seconds and the sarcophagus ceased its motion.

Danny's eyes opened slowly amidst a soft moan. Sha're took a step back before they could spot her, not wanting to startle him immediately and to give him room to get out.

Jackson's utter surprise that he was alive was overlapped by another groan when he saw where he lay. _Sarcophagus again…_A sudden streak of panic ran through him. _That's three times. Three. How long did it take for me to get addicted? I'm sure it was more than that, but-. _

Quickly he searched his mind for any thoughts out of the ordinary. Not that he would recognize them as strange if there were any, because he would be addicted...Gulping, he looked down at his hands. Not shaking. That was a good sign, anyway. Besides, he suddenly realized: if he really were addicted to the sarcophagus, he feel fine--more than fine, perfect--but he didn't. The wounds were, for the most part, gone, but his body still ached--all of it. Though most of it was centered around his middle.

Satisfied, at least, that he was mentally intact, Danny reached up, snagged one of the edges of the sarcophagus, and carefully pulled himself into a sitting position. Immediately he leaned on the edge, breathing heavily and burying his head in his arms. Wow. That had taken a bit more energy than he'd thought it would. Was something wrong with the piece of Goa'uld technology?

"Dan'iel?"

* * *

Daniel didn't know how long he had been here. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. He'd had nothing better to do than sit. Finally he'd ventured behind the counter, and smiled when he saw a fresh pot of coffee. Wow. This Oma didn't even know him very well yet, but she'd figured that one out. She really was something.

A few seconds of looking around brought his eyes down on a tray of mugs under the counter, and he took one and poured himself some of the coffee. Then, crossing back to where he'd been before, he settled back onto the bench with his prize. Well, if one was going to be stuck in some whacked dimension for a while, leaving good coffee for him to enjoy was the least that could be done. Though it'd be nice if he had someone to talk to. Not that any of the other ascended beings would speak to him if they were here. They hadn't last time.

Sighing, Daniel took a sip of the coffee, found that it was, in fact, pretty good, and started taking bigger gulps. Okay, so this wasn't turning out to be too terribly bad. Now if he could just figure out what the heck Oma had been talking about before she'd disappeared on him…

As if on cue, there was flash of light, and she was there again, sitting across from him. Daniel jumped in surprise, almost spilling the coffee. Setting the mug down on the table, he stared across it at her.

"Oma! Thank goodness. Can you tell me what's going on here?"

Oma Desala shook her head. "I cannot, but you will understand in a moment, Daniel." She reached across the table and placed a hand over his. He looked down at it in confusion and then back up at her face.

"What…?"

"Now go," she said.

And everything vanished.

* * *

"Dan'iel?"

Danny looked up in surprise at the sound of his wife's voice, and saw her standing there, waiting for him…

"Sha're?" he asked in disbelief, sitting up.

She nodded quickly. "It is me, Dan'iel, but I do not know for how long…"

Before she could go any further, Danny had jumped from the sarcophagus, ignoring the exhaustion and pain, taken her in his arms and pressed his lips to hers. At first she stiffened, surprised, but soon wrapped her arms around him as well and returned the kiss. A moment later she pulled back and looked up into his eyes, which were now filled with tears behind his glasses.

"Dan'iel, I'm sorry I let this happen-"

"No," Danny interrupted her, bringing a finger to her lips. He smiled softly and pulled her to him. "How many times do I have to tell you that none of this is your fault? Sha're, I love you so much. I'm just glad you're here right now."

"I love you too, Dan'iel," she said softly. "But…we must get you out of here while we can…"

She was interrupted by a pained groan from nearby. Danny frowned and took Sha're's hand as the two of them moved toward the source of the sound, and found themselves walking around the sarcophagus to the other side of it. There floor there had been out of there sight before, and what they saw there now was very startling indeed.

"What…?" Sha're said in confusion.

Danny's eye opened in surprise. "Oops. That's right; I exist again, don't I? Which means my future self would again…"

It was Daniel--missing glasses, broken ribs, rumpled black BDUs and all, just as he had been before disappearing. Except now he was curled on his side, obviously in a fair amount of pain. Duh.

"Uh oh," Danny said, kneeling beside him. "Hey…you okay?"

"No, I'm…not…okay," Daniel gasped, scowling. "Gosh, one…minute I'm…drinking coffee…and the next I'm…back here…geez…ah!"

"What?" his younger self asked in confusion.

Daniel shook his head. "N-Never mind…Uhhhhh…"

Danny glanced up and looked from Sha're's worried face to the sarcophagus, and back to Sha're. "We have to get him in there…"

"No!" Daniel yelped. "I don't…want to…use that thing."

Danny frowned. "Look, if Amaunet hadn't had me revived again, neither of us would be here, and if Sha're hadn't managed to get control again, she'd probably be finishing you off for fun _before_ putting _you_ in there. I don't like that thing either, but face it; if we don't get you in there _now_ you're either going to die, or at the very least prevent us from being able to get out of here."

Daniel glared at him for a moment, ten rolled his eyes. "Fine…" he said quietly.

"Good," Danny nodded, and then reached down and took one of Daniel's arms. "Sha're, could you help me get him up please?"

Sha're nodded and took his other arm, and carefully the two helped pull Daniel to his feet. Though no matter how careful they were, they couldn't keep it from hurting him quite a bit, and he shouted.

"Hold on, Dan'iel. We are being as careful as we can."

"Yeah…I…kn-know…AH!"

Danny grimaced. "Be quiet, would you?"

"I'm sorry…" Daniel gasped. "But if you…felt like I…do right…now…you'd be…shouting too."

"I know, I know, but could you try to keep it down? Please? You're gonna get us caught," Danny pleaded.

Gently Danny and Sha're placed him in the sarcophagus, and it started to close. Daniel glanced around uncomfortably for a moment, but finally closed his eyes and allowed it to take him as the others disappeared from view.

Sha're watched the sarcophagus. "Will he be all right?" she asked in concern.

Danny leaned heavily on the machine. "Yeah…I think so…"

"Dan'iel? What is wrong?"

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "Don't worry about me; I just don't feel the greatest…"

Sha're sighed. "She waited too long."

"What?"

"She waited too long before having you revived. It was not able to heal you completely, so you will still be weak for a while."

"Ah," Daniel said tiredly. Sha're stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He put his arms around her in return as she rested her head on his chest, and he rested his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. And they stayed that way, waiting for the sarcophagus to open again so they could make their escape, just happy to be together.

* * *

When Danny heard the sound of the sarcophagus opening behind him, he pushed away from where he had been leaning on it, standing, and Sha're let go of him. Both turned to look at the device as it stopped moving. Danny swayed, suddenly dizzy, but steadied himself on the edge of the sarcophagus and forced his eyes to focus. A moment later, Daniel sat up.

"Feeling better?" Danny asked.

Daniel nodded as he climbed out. "Yeah…a lot better. Now…we were planning on getting out of here, right?"

Sha're nodded. "Yes. I think we have a clear path from here to the rings, and they go straight to the room with the Chappa'ai, so we should be able to get out of here easily…"

"It's never that easy," Daniel frowned. "Let's just hope this time is the exception. But either way, I'm not going back to the SGC. I have to find that…thing, or whatever it is, and get back to my own time."

"But you're not even sure how it brought you here; much less how to make it bring you back," Danny said.

"True, but I do know what buttons I landed on. Maybe that will help…" he shrugged. "I have to try. I can't just stay here."

Danny sighed, still leaning against the sarcophagus for support. "I guess not…"

"Dan'iel, we should go before we are discovered…

"Good idea," both answered together. They stared at each other for a moment, then rolled their eyes and started toward the door.

"Wait," Daniel said suddenly.

"What?" Danny asked, turning. "You heard her; we need to go." Then, to his confusion, Daniel started un-zipping his jacket.

"I know, but you can't wear that home. You'll scare everyone in the gate-room half to death."

Danny looked down at himself, remembering his blood-soaked jacket and shirt. "Oops. I guess you're right."

Daniel pulled of his jacket, leaving him with his t-shirt, waited while Danny shrugged out of his shirt and jacket, and then handed the jacket to him.

"Thanks," Danny said, putting it on and zipping it up. Then he looked at his discarded things on the floor. "What do I do with those?"

"Leave them," Sha're suggested. "We should be gone before they are found."

Danny nodded, and the three quietly moved out into the corridor.

* * *

Once down in the 'gate room of the Goa'uld compound, Danny went immediately for the DHD. As he dialed, Sha're went for the box where Sam and Danny's things had been, but found no GDOs.

"Dan'iel!" she called. "The devices that send your codes are gone! And so are your weapons!"

Danny leaned on the DHD, breathing heavily, and turned to look at her. "What?"

"Jack and them must have taken them," Daniel assessed. "Okay…uhm…where were my things?"

"Oh, uh…" Sha're ran to the back of the room, where another open crate sat. Daniel followed her. "Are these yours?" she asked, pointing inside it.

"Yeah, thanks," he said, grabbing his GDO from the box and hurrying back toward his younger self.

"Did you find one?" Danny asked hopefully.

"Uh huh. You can use mine to put in your code-" He stopped when Danny pressed the red globe in the center of the DHD and the whooshed open. "Here," he said then, handing the GDO to him. Danny took it and entered the code.

"Huh; these things haven't changed a bit. Oh….kay. There," Danny said, and then turned. "Sha're, come on! We'd better go before something…

But before he could finish his sentence, nightmare took root. Several jaffa suddenly stormed into the room and grabbed Sha're, who shouted Daniel's name before being pulled from the room as the jaffa began to fire at the two Jacksons.

"-happens," Daniel finished for him, stunned.

"Sha're!" Danny shouted, started back toward her, but, snapping out of it, Daniel grabbed his collar and pulled him backwards. "What are you doing! We have to help her!" Danny yelped angrily.

"Are you insane!" Daniel replied heatedly. "There's no way! We're trapped, outnumbered, and weaponless. We need to leave, now!" he said, turning his counterpart toward the gate.

"But what about Sha're? And what about you! You have to get to your own time-"

"We can come back later, with help. Now go!" Daniel shouted, giving him a shove. Danny stumbled through the stargate, and Daniel ducked a couple of staff blasts before running through after him.

* * *

The de-brief was over. Everyone knew what had happened, and no one was happy about it. The mood remained somber as those gathered in the conference room started to file out. SG-3 left first. They had really only been there to give their report of the rescue operation--the half-failed rescue operation.

Slowly, Samantha Carter stood. An arm dropped around her shoulders, and Sam glanced over to see Jack O'Neill by her side. She tried to give him a smile, but only partly succeeded. She sighed, and the two started toward the door, Janet Fraiser and Teal'c not far behind, as General Hammond headed for his office.

But that was when the off-world-activation alert went off. All five still in the conference room immediately changed direction and broke into a run, hurrying down the stars to the control room. They arrived just as the gate opened behind the already closed iris.

"Are we getting a signal?" Hammond asked.

"Uhm…yes sire," Walter answered from where he sat.

"Well?"

"It's…" Harriman trailed off as a look of confusion crossed his face. "Sir, it's…SG-1's code," he said, glancing back the general and the team.

"What? That's impossible," Sam protested.

"Well, obviously it is, Carter, 'cause it's what's coming through," Jack commented.

"But didn't you bring all the GDOs back? Oh! Uh oh. Daniel had one too…the other one…He must have. They still have his…" Carter mused.

"But the Goa'uld don't have the code, do they?" Janet asked.

Sam shook her head, frowning. "No…"

General Hammond sighed. "All right, open the iris. But I want defense teams to stay down there in case."

On command, Walter opened the iris, and the defense teams down on the floor aimed their weapons toward the open wormhole. All stared at the blue surface; a moment later it rippled…and two Daniel Jacksons stumbled through.

"Close it!" The one without a jacket and missing his glasses called immediately, as a staff blast followed them and struck the wall. His eyes wide, Hammond nodded to Harriman to do it, and the metal barrier spiraled shut.

"Major, what…?" Hammond began. He turned toward Carter to seek an answer to the bizarre scene, but found that SG-1 and Doctor Frasier were already gone, halfway down the steps to the 'gate room. Sighing, he followed them.

Down in the 'gate room, Danny and Daniel stepped off the ramp just as the door opened.

"Daniel!" Samantha Carter was the first through it and ran straight to Danny, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

Daniel grinned when his counterpart fell back a step as he returned the embrace. "Whoa…hey Sam. It's good to be home…" He sounded sincerely happy to be back, but it was also obvious that something else was on his mind.

A smiling Teal'c and Janet Fraiser and General Hammond, and a widely grinning Jack O'Neill hurried in behind Carter.

"Welcome back, Doctor Jackson," Hammond greeted them, looking forward to what was bound to be an interesting explanation.

"Daniel, you _insane _spacemonkey of a civilian! Are you _ever_ going to stop pulling stunts like that and making me worry about you?" Jack joked.

Finally Danny smiled. "Probably not," he admitted, letting go of Sam.

"He's right," Daniel added, before also accepting a hug from Carter.

"Oh, well that's encouraging," Jack frowned. But he quickly wiped it away and smiled again. "So…what happened this time?"

Sam stepped back and looked at the two Jacksons. "Right. What…I don't understand…"

"Long story…" Daniel sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Uh, well…" Danny began. "Basically I guess Amaunet was going to have me revived for more interrogation because you were gone and you thought I was dead…But, uh, Sha're was able to get control so she helped us escape. She was going to come with us, but then the jaffa discovered us and she couldn't get to the stargate…" He sighed and frowned. "But we can give you the details later. We have to go back. We have to help her…" But he trailed off and stopped there, suddenly out of breath.

"Danny?" Sam asked in concern.

"S-sorry. I'm just…tired." Now that he was back, with no adrenaline pushing him to get home, he was feeling it even more. His stomach hurt--a lot, and the rest of his body felt sore. Exhaustion was beginning to take over--everything that had happened…

"I thought you just came out of a sarcophagus?" Janet questioned.

Danny nodded wearily. "I did, but apparently Amaunet waited too long after I, uh…died…and, it couldn't heal me completely…" He moaned.

"Feel terrible, I take it?" Jack asked, patting his friend on the back.

Danny nodded again, his eyes closing. "Yeah…"

Janet stepped forward and gently hugged him before stepping back, putting a hand on his arm and pulling him toward the door. "Come on. Let's get you to the infirmary and see how you're doing."

Hammond nodded. "I agree, Doctor Jackson. We'll do what we can about your wife, but we can worry about those things once you're all right."

"Yes sir," Danny quietly relented, and started to follow Fraiser. But as he moved forward everything blurred again. Why was the room spinning…? Danny dropped to his knees.

"Daniel?" Jack said.

"Danny?" Sam asked in concern, bending down next to him as everyone else started in surprise.

"Are you all right?" Janet asked, kneeling in front of him and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Could we get a gurney in here?" She asked no one in particular when Jackson didn't answer.

"N-No, Janet. I can walk…" he finally replied, trying to push off the floor. The doctor held him down firmly.

"Oh no you don't," she commanded. "Stay down. We'll have a gurney in here in a minute. You'll be fine."

Too exhausted to resist anymore, Danny only nodded again.

Janet looked up at Daniel. "What about you? Are you all right?"

Daniel blinked in surprise. "What? Oh…Yeah. I'm fine."

But he quickly looked away, and Sam could see that he had that look on his face again…She couldn't help but worry about him.

Sighing, Sam put an arm around Danny shoulders as they waited for his transportation to them infirmary. When the pressure on her shoulder increased she looked down to see that he had lost consciousness. "Janet…?"

"I know," Fraiser smiled gently. "It's nothing to worry about. He probably just needs plenty of rest."

Sam nodded. "Right..."

_Well, _she sighed inwardly, smiling. _At least he's back, and he'll be okay. _


	26. Alternate Future

Hi guys! I'm back from church camp now! I had a lot of fun, and what made it even better was that I found time to work on this, the next chapter of this story. I got home yesterday, and then all I had to do was type this, so here you go! new chapter! I know that it may seem a bit weird or out of whack or something, but it will make sense once I put up chapter 27, I promise. Now, I'm not changeing subjects on you, just please keep reading we'll go back to where we were in the last chapter in the next chapter, I promise...and then some, lol.

So anyway, I'm happy to be back and be giving you another chapter:) Please read and review so I know what you think of this new alternate future twist here before I keep going...

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* * *

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**Part 2**

Chapter 26

Present, AU

_Dan'iel…_

Sha're blinked back the tears that gathered in her eyes as she looked down at the picture frame in her hands, sitting at the desk that had once been his. The frame held two pictures: The first was only Daniel, a picture taken of him in Abydonian robes, from the year he had spent there. The second was a picture of the original SG-1, taken shortly before Daniel had died.

_My Dan'iel I miss you so much…_she thought in despair. Blinking harder, she gently ran her fingers over his face on the first caption, her favorite picture of her late husband. She liked to remember him that way, with his hair long the way it had been when she'd first met him, his attire the robes of her homeworld, and happy.

With Abydos gone and its people, including her father and brother, ascended, all she had left of it was what she had left of Daniel. Before Sha're could stop it, a single tear slipped down her cheek and landed on the glass beside his smiling face-the face she would never she smile at her in person again.

Six years. It had been six years, almost to the day, since Daniel had died, and even longer since she had been given that smile. She thought she had moved on, but then this-the announcement of this mission-and she found herself trying not to fall apart again. She'd failed to save him then, and now she had to be reminded of that by returning to the planet where her husband had been murdered.

And it had been nothing short of murder. What made it so much worse was that she had committed the crime herself. Even though she hadn't been controlling it at the time, she could still feel the knife in her hand as Amaunet used her body to plunge it into him. She could still hear Daniel's pained gasps of shock, see him sink to the floor, still defying his killer, could remember the few moments she'd had with him before Amaunet had taken control from her again, and she could still see the tears and pain on Daniel's face when Amaunet left, pleading for Sha're not to go…But she hadn't been able to stop the Goa'uld again.

Sha're clenched her eyes shut, trying to push the images from her mind. She couldn't dwell on that part of it, or she would never be able to go through with this. She had to focus on the times _she'd_ had with him, not what Amaunet had done to him. She had to remember the short times she'd been in control of her body again, when she'd been able to speak to her Daniel, and to the Daniel of the future who no longer existed because of her…No. She couldn't go there either.

_It's not your fault_, Daniel's voice rang in her mind. Both of them had told her that. He had told her yet again even as he was dying in her, his older self injured and dying on the other side of the holding cell.

She'd tried to listen to him, tried, over the years, to convince herself that it wasn't her fault. Sometimes she could, and sometimes she couldn't. She'd had a chance to save him, tried to re-take control of her body again for a few moments, long enough to get him to a sarcophagus and help him escape, but she hadn't been able to. So when Amaunet had decided not to revive him, he had been lost to her forever.

Now she was free of the Goa'uld, the demon that had controlled her for two-and-a-half years, but Daniel was gone. She had filled the empty position on SG-1 but she could never take his place. Jack, Sam, and Teal'c had known that, but had welcomed her with open arms just the same. She had become part of the team, their friend, as Cameron Mitchell had also become after he took command of SG-1 a couple of months before.

At first Mitchell had not known much about Daniel's death, but when the mission of returning to P5R-322 to search for the experimental time/space device left by the Goa'uld had fallen to SG1, it had raised questions that had final lead to Cameron learning the whole truth. The colonel, once he had realized her emotional problems with the assignment, had offered to let her stay behind, and General O'Neill had agreed to the idea, but she had insisted that she would be all right. She was beginning to wonder if that had been wise…but no, she had to do this. They might be able to use the device against the Ori, and if for no other reason she had to do this for Daniel.

Sha're sighed. She should be going now, preparing to embark, not sitting in her office. SG-1 was scheduled to leave later that morning.

A soft knock at the door made her swipe quickly at her tears and look up.

In the door way stood Samantha Carter, in civilian clothes and looking like she'd just come in for the morning. That was probably true; Sha're had been on base all night, too restless to trek back to her apartment.

Sam leaned into the office questioningly, and Sha're beckoned for her to come in.

"Hey," Carter said in greeting, coming up beside her friend as Sha're's eyes drifted back to the pictures in her hands. When she saw them, Sam slipped an arm around the younger woman's shoulders and squeezed gently. It took a moment for Sha're to speak up.

"I miss him," she said finally.

Sam sighed, "I know. We all do. Believe me when I say I understand that today won't be easy."

Sha're nodded silently, and then set the picture frame down and stood.

"We should be getting changed."

"Will you be all right?" Carter asked in concern.

Sha're managed a smile. "I'll be fine."

Sam gave her a smile in return, but there was sad ness behind hers as well. She didn't want to make a return visit to P5R-322 any more than Sha're did, both were determined to get through it. Finding _anything_ to help in the newly developing fight against the Ori was more important that emotional conflicts, and both knew it.

As the two woman were turning to head for the locker room, Cameron Mitchell rounded the corner into the office.

"Carter! Jackson! Come, time to gear up, see what kind of cool new tech we can bring back."

"Cam, we don't know for certain that we're going to find anything. Don't get your hopes up. I want to find something we can use just as much as you do, but…"

"Anything could have happened. Another Goa'uld could have discovered the device and moved it by now," Sha're filled in.

Mitchell looked confused. "But doesn't it have to still be there? I mean, otherwise how would the, uh…the other Dr. Jackson…" he said, treading carefully. "How would he have gotten there if the thing wasn't there in the future?"

Sam winced. "Cameron, he could have been from any time, and besides, this is a different future. For us, the future where Daniel was alive was abolished when he died," she informed him, gulping back the lump that was trying to form in her throat.

Mitchell sighed. "Okay, okay. I got it…sorry; I didn't mean to…"

"It's all right," Sha're assured him.

Cameron nodded. "Okay, so…you two gonna be okay?"

Sam and Sha're looked at each other for a moment, and then back at the colonel.

"We're as ready as we'll ever be," Carter replied finally.

* * *

General Jack O'Neill was waiting in the 'gate room when SG-1 arrived. Teal'c and Mitchell made in there first, and waited patiently until the door slid open again to admit Carter and Jackson. Carter took a deep breath just inside the door and went to stand with her friends, but Sha're shuffled in behind her, eyes on the floor. Sam saw this and started to go back for her, but stopped when she saw Jack make his way to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, how ya doin'?" O'Neill asked gently.

She sighed. "Better than I thought I would, I suppose. At first I did not even think I could do this, but…"

"You still have the choice not to," the general pointed out.

Sha're nodded. "I know, and thank you for your concern, Jack, but…but I can make it."

Jack nodded in return. "Okay…" But when he saw the saddened look on her face as she started to pull away he pulled her back and spoke again, as the 'gate began to dial.

"Hey, you know he never blamed you, right? I mean, for cryin' out loud, the _last_ thing he asked me to do was find you again and get that thing out of you."

Her head dropped. "You have told me…"

"Sha're, Daniel loved you with all his heart, and we all know how much you loved him-still love him. Look, coming here, accepting the spot he left on SG-1, doing what you do now for this planet, this galaxy…It's what he would have wanted for you. You have nothing to be guilty about. And don't tell me that you're not feeling guilty--I know that face."

A brief smile flickered across her face at his last comment.

"Thank you," she said quietly, at his attempt to cheer her up, at his reminders.

"You're welcome," Jack said, giving her shoulders a squeeze before releasing them. He looked up toward the rest of the SGC's flagship team as the Abydonian woman moved toward them.

"Hey Carter," he called. The colonel looked up, and he continued, "You gonna be okay?"

Sam sighed and nodded. "Yes sir."

At that moment, the 'gate whooshed open, and O'Neill nodded and stepped back toward the door.

"All right; good luck SG-1," he said in send-off."

"Thanks general," Mitchell answered, throwing off a non-returned salute before turning and following Teal'c up the ramp. Sam waited for Sha're, and the two women started toward the stargate together.

Together they hesitated at the top of the ramp, watching the men go through. Carter looked over at her friend.

"You ready for this?"

"Not really," Sha're gulped.

"Me either," Sam admitted.

Both stared at the event horizon for another moment or two, and finally, before she could think about it anymore, Sha're closed her eyes and stepped through.

Sighing, Sam glanced back at Jack, who gave her a nod before she turned and followed the rest of her team.

* * *

Cameron started issuing instructions the moment everyone was through, hoping that getting moving immediately would get everyone's minds off what had happened here.

"Okay, everybody spread out-"

"There is no need for that," Sha're interrupted. "I remember where the device is if it really is still here."

"-or not," Mitchell finished. "Okay…lead on then."

Sha're nodded, and then, gulping again and taking a deep breath, she did just that. As she walked, she tried not to think of when she had walked these corridors with no control of her own body, as Amaunet, of what she had done to Daniel, to Sam, and others. She succeeded at first, and thought that maybe she really would be all right, but suddenly she had to stop just short of the cell where Daniel had died; her feet wouldn't take her any farther. She didn't want to see that room again.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Sha're?" Sam said softly.

Sha're tried to respond, but only managed to pull in a shaky breath.

"It's okay," Mitchell said. "Take your time. If it's here, it's not going anywhere before we get back there to it."

Sha're nodded, and her friends stood with her as she took deep breaths, mind running rampant. Daniel had died in the room around the corner. Her own hands had done it. But it wasn't her fault…yes it was! No. Stop. She had to keep going. Just keep going. It wasn't her fault. There was nothing she could do about it now. She just had to keep going. Take another step, another. There you go…

She was in front of it now, her friends still with her. She would have been able to see it if she hadn't been staring straight ahead. Just look. Maybe it will help. Don't you hear that you're supposed to face your fears?

Sha're closed her eyes, and felt Sam's hand close tighter on her shoulder to offer comfort. She could do this. She took another deep breath, and opened her eyes…and saw it. It was dark now, there were no blood stains, no evidence of occupants, nothing. But she knew this was it, knew what had happened here. It was where she had last seen Daniel alive.

Her legs felt weak, and Cameron and Teal'c also reached out to her to hold her up and lead her past the room. On the other side she leaned against the wall, blinking back tears. _Dan'iel_ _I'm sorry. I could not save you. I'm so, so sorry…_

"You okay?" Sam asked.

Pulling herself from her thoughts and trying to return herself to normal, Sha're looked at her friend, whose eyes were also wet. She gulped and nodded. "I can go on," she said quietly, finally able to form words again.

"Are you certain Sha're Jackson?" Teal'c asked in concern.

She nodded and pushed away from the wall. "I am."

Mitchell sighed. "Okay. Let's get going then. It's not too much further is it?"

Sha're shook her head. "No, not too much farther. Follow me."

And she walked on. Her emotions still raged from anguish to anger to others, but she could do this. She was past the worst. If she could move on from that, she would be all right. And, of course, her friends were always there for her. As long as she had them, she could do it, make it, just like she had after Daniel had died. The return to this planet was a sad day, but when she got home, she would be all right. She could still be happy again, with her family.

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Carter. You wanna do _what_?" O'Neill questioned from the control room at the SGC.

"I want to bring the device back the SGC, sir. Most of what I think I'll need to study this thing I can't bring here. If we're going to find out if we can use this device, I'm going to need much easier access to it. That means in my lab, sir," Sam reported from the other side of the wormhole, via M.A.L.P. video feed.

"Uh, yeah, okay. But…correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time we brought some unknown alien device from some planet and turned it on, people started seeing things--big things--big _bug_ things from another dimension, for cryin' out loud."

"Yes, sir, I know. But this isn't a completely unknown device. We know what it's supposed to do, and we won't turn it on until we know exactly how it works."

"But-"

"Please, sir. We need to know if this can help us. I _need_ to bring it back to find that out."

Jack sighed. "Mitchell, what do you think?"

"Uh, I'm gonna have to go with Carter on this one, general. If the geeks need it back home to figure it out, I say we bring it on through. It's worth whatever small risk there is."

O'Neill thought about that for another moment or so, and then nodded. "Fine. Go ahead a get it."

"Thank you, sir!" Carter said.

"You need any help getting it to the 'gate?"

"No sir. It's not as heavy as it looks, and it seems like it was meant just to be carried by three or four people when moved, 'cause it's got these convenient handles, so…yeah, we should be able to get it," Mitchell said.

Jack nodded. "'kay then. We'll see you when you get back."

"Yes sir," Carter answered. "SG-1 out."

With that, the 'gate closed, and O'Neill sighed.

Well, at least Carter had seemed okay. He hadn't seen Sha're, but hoped she was all right as well. He knew that he would have been dealing with quite a few conflicting emotions if he'd been with them there. Not that he wasn't dealing with any now.

At times over the past day or so Jack had found his thoughts drifting back to the unpleasant memories of Daniel's death. He was glad that he had kept his promise to his best friend, had found his wife again and contacted the Tok'ra to get the snake out of her, set her free. He'd given her to choice to stay with the SGC, to join SG-1, and she'd taken it. Maybe it had been out of guilt then, or just wanting to be close to the place and people her husband had loved, but over time his friends had become hers, his home among the family of the SGC her home, and she'd grown the love it. She'd become happy.

Of course Daniel was always in the back of her mind, she missed him, loved him, but she'd been happy where she was, and Jack was happy that'd he'd been able to help her get that chance. He hadn't seen her as depressed as he'd seen her today in years. He was sorry that the new threat of the Ori had driven them to return to P5R-322, that he had to send SG-1 on this mission. He only hoped that Sha're would be able to get past this, be happy again when she came back. From what he had seen as he'd gotten to know the young woman, he was almost certain that she would. She was strong.

Jack sighed, and moved back toward his office, once again pondering why he'd taken the desk job.

* * *

Mitchell looked at his team, each of which was holding onto one of the handles of the tall cylindrical device. Or rather, he looked at the members of his team he could see. The four of them stood in a rough square at the handholds, and he was in the back left corner. Sam was in front of him, Sha're to his right, and Teal'c he couldn't see. Anyway…

"Okay, everybody, ready to go?" he asked, nodding toward the open gate.

"Yes sir," Carter answered immediately.

"I am ready to depart, Mitchell," Teal'c answered, and it was the first time the colonel had heard the jaffa's voice sound so heavy. Sure, at times there was strain in the bigger man's voice when he talked about his late friend, and especially today, but…well, in any case, it was definitely time to get the heck out of here.

"Okay…" Cameron said, and glanced over at Sha're, who nodded her affirmative as well. "Then we're out of here."

Sha're glance back the open 'gate room one last time as she stepped forward with the others, carrying the device. She hoped that now that they had it, she would never have to come here again.

Then, sighing one last time, she and the rest of SG-1 stepped through the stargate.


	27. Collision

Going on a trip again, down south to see the family, this time. Sorry! But I will actually have access to computers along the way, so I may be able to work on this, but then again I don't know, so if not before then I'll update again as soon as I get back in a week or so. So please be patient! After this trip, the rest of my summer is free, thank goodness, so I'll get a lot done, hopefully finish before school starts...But anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's chapter 27, so please enjoy it and review so I know what you think before I leave tommorrow afternoon! Thanks! Have a great week!

Chapter 27

Danny woke up to the familiar sounds and smells of the infirmary. _Perfect…stuck here again_, he grumbled inwardly. But ah well, at least it was better than a Goa'uld holding cell.

Blinking groggily, he turned his head to see Jack O'Neill in a chair beside his bead, feet propped up on the edge of the bed and chair titled back, asleep. He was going to hurt himself doing that one day. Behind O'Neill, Jackson's older self wondered sickbay, not quite sure what to do with himself. When he glanced over and saw Danny awake, he started back in his direction.

Danny turned to look at the colonel again, and smiled faintly.

"Jack?" he called.

"Wha-?" Sure enough, O'Neill woke and jerked in surprise, the chair falling backwards. Fortunately, though, Daniel was now close enough to catch the chair and push it upright again before the colonel cracked his head open.

"Whoa! Watch it, Jack!" Daniel scolded. "Really, the first time around, you did hit your head and Janet made you stay in the infirmary over night for observation."

"I did? She did?"

"Yes, and while it was interesting to have some friendly company in here for once, I thought I'd save you the trouble."

"Sweet, thanks," Jack said.

"You're welcome," Daniel replied, and then looked at his younger self and smiled. "Sorry."

Danny chuckled. "No big deal."

Jack sat up. "So, how you feelin' Danny-boy?"

Danny sighed. "Okay, I guess…still pretty sore though."

"That's understandable, considering…" Daniel shuddered. "I'm sorry. I really screwed a few things up getting myself thrown back here. That, uh…the whole dying again thing, and like that for crying out loud…that didn't happen the first time…"

"So, you still remember it the way it happened to you?" Danny asked.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, though it's kind of strange, because ever since I uh, started to exist again, uhm…there's something else up here…" he said, motioning toward his head. "I'm still fully retaining the memories of how all this happened the first time. Without the dying and the other me, but all of a sudden it's like I'm starting to be able to remember it the way it happened…is happening this time…"

"Well, you're here, so that makes sense."

"Well, of course I remember it from the point of view I have now, but I mean…from yours…"

Danny's eyebrows went up. "Are you telling me you think you really _are_ me, that neither of us is an alternate created when you came back in time. Like, I'm really going to be you one day and accidentally find whatever it was you did and get sent back here, and…"

Daniel shrugged tiredly. "I don't know. Maybe."

Danny groaned. "Oh, that's comforting."

The older Jackson grimaced. "Yeah, I know it doesn't sound so good. This wasn't much more fun on my end than it was on yours."

"No kidding…"

Jack meanwhile, had simple been sitting there, watching the two go back and forth. Finally he stood up and held out his hands. "Okay! Enough, before my head explodes. Really, what is this all about?"

Daniel smiled. "You didn't get all that, Jack?"

"Well, yeah, I think I got the gist of it, but…oh never mind. Can we change the subject now?"

"Yeah, I think we we're done," Danny answered. "Weren't we?"

Daniel shrugged again. "I think so."

O'Neill nodded. "Thank you. Okay then, question number one--Daniel, what are _you_ still doing in here? There's nothing wrong with you."

Daniel blinked. "Well, I uh…" He couldn't tell them the truth. He'd figured that no one would think it strange for him to hang around sickbay with Jack until Danny woke up, and had hoped that no one would ask. The real reason he hadn't been able to leave was because of Janet Fraiser. He hadn't seen her in almost a year-and-a-half, since she'd been killed, and even if she couldn't talk to her much because she was on duty and busy at the moment, just being in the infirmary near her, being able to see her…

Daniel swallowed back the feelings that swelled in his throat when he thought about, and finally just shrugged, going for the innocent answer. "I don't know."

Jack rolled his eyes. "That's fine; you never know."

"Jaaaack!" Danny yelped in annoyance.

"Okay, okay! Never mind. Sorry, I forget I'm dealing with two at a time here. It's funny, I go to rescue one of you, come back with none of you and two hours later end up with two of you. Does that sound weird to anybody besides me? First two carters, now I'm gonna have to get used to two Daniels…"

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "Hopefully not to used to it, though. I need to get back to my own time-"

But before he could continue the Unscheduled Off-world Activation signal went off, bringing all three to full alert. Jack groaned in frustration and reluctantly started to bolt for the door, but Daniel stopped him.

"It's okay, Jack; I'll check it out. You can stay here if you want."

Slowly O'Neill sat back down, unsure. "Okay…"

Daniel. "Don't worry, I'll report back ASAP."

Now Jack smiled. "You'd better."

* * *

"What's going on?" Daniel asked, coming up behind General Hammond in the control room just as the iris on the stargate slid open.

Hammond looked quickly toward him, expertly covering the surprise he hadn't yet quite gotten over when it came to having another, older Daniel Jackson on base.

"We're not sure," the general told him. "But it's SG-1's signal."

"What?" Daniel asked in surprise. "But who else would--oh."

Before Hammond could react Jackson had bolted for the stairs, and was already halfway down before Hammond saw four black BDU-clad people step through the gate carrying some sort of device. The two in back, partially obstructed by whatever they were carrying, he didn't recognize, but the two in front he immediately realized were Samantha Carter and Teal'c. But that was impossible, because the major and the jaffa were already here. Unless…

"What the-" Hammond said, and quickly followed Jackson down toward the 'gate room.

When Daniel ran into the 'gate room, all he saw were three people; he didn't see the fourth, who was hidden by the device, and didn't know they were there at all. All he saw were Sam, Teal'c, and Cameron stepping off the ramp, looking exactly as they had the last time he'd seen them, as the fact that the had the Goa'uld device with them, and drew the first logical conclusion.

"Guys! Boy am I glad to see you. Thank goodness you figured out how it works. How'd you find out where I went…?" He trailed off when he realized that all three of them were staring at him like they'd seen a ghost. "What?"

"D-Daniel? Is that-is that you?" Carter stammered as General Hammond came in after Jackson and stopped, deciding to watch the scene playing out in hopes of understanding the circumstances of it.

"Of course it's me, Sam, why?"

"B-but, but you're-"

"Dead!" Cameron said from beside her. "And what's General Hammond doing here? Where's General O'Neill? I would _really _love to know what going on here."

Daniel frowned. "Yeah, so would I. What are you guys talking about? I'm not dead, Cam. I'm right here. You just saw for yourself that thing transports people safely. It didn't kill me."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Transports? Are you saying we were moved from where we were?"

"Teal'c, of course you moved from where you were. This isn't 2005, it's 199 for cryin' out loud! Now would you _please _tell me what's going on?"

Sam gulped. "Daniel, you…you died in '99," she said quietly. "What's happening? If this is '99, what's going on? You don't look like I remember."

Daniel's eyebrows went up. "Oh! I'm not from this time. I'm from '05 too, but…apparently I'm from a different '05…"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Mitchell nodded. "Okay, note to self--don't take this thing through the stargate or you get thrown not only back in time but to the past of _alternate universes_ and get to meet _dead people._ Okay…"

"Daniel…what's today's date?" Sam asked hesitantly. He told her, and her eyes closed. "That's it. That's when our Daniel died…"

Daniel pulled in a breath. "Actually, I know what you're talking about," he said slowly. "If I'm right, that did happen today--to the other me, anyway, and I didn't exist there for a while…"

Carter nodded. "Right. There was another you, but he ceased to exist when…"

Daniel nodded. "I know what happened. I think it may be that the only difference between our universes is that in yours I stayed dead, didn't get taken to a sarcophagus. More of an alternate future than an alternate future?"

"I guess so…" Sam agreed, stepping closer to him, her head spinning from everything her mind had been forced to take in the past few minutes. It wasn't exactly their Daniel, but almost his past seemed to be exactly the same as their up to the point where the one they had known had died. He was what Daniel would be if he were still alive, and she missed him.

Daniel saw the emotions flickering over this other Sam's face, saw the tears gathering in her eyes, and before he knew what he was doing he had pulled her into his arms and she was clinging to him.

"It's okay Sam," he said quietly, and she nodded against his shoulder, just hugging him. Daniel held on until she let go, because he knew how she felt. It was the same thing he'd felt when he'd seen Sha're again, just a couple of days before. After a moment or so she pulled back and looked at him.

"I'm so sorry it turned out that way in your reality."

"We've all missed you," she gulped, and found a smile. "Even Jack still misses you a lot."

Daniel laughed. "Wow."

Behind Sam, Cameron clapped his hands, and Daniel looked up. "Okay, so you know Sam and Teal'c, I'm pretty sure general Hammond does too, and you obviously know me from where you come from even though I don't know you, and of course, you probably know this one too-" he stopped when he turned to find no one behind him, and frowned, holding up a finger apologetically. "Uh, just a second…" And while Daniel watched quizzically and Sam stepped away from him, Mitchell leaned down to speak to the fourth member of the team, who was still invisible to the rest of them.

"Jackson, what are doing down there?" he whispered, addressing Sha're, who had sunk to the floor on the far side of the device, hiding, her arms wrapped around her folded knees she had pulled up to her chin.

"Cameron, I cannot face him," she whispered back. I-I killed him! I can't-"

"Hold it. For one thing, if I understand what happened right, _you_ didn't kill him. Not to mention that this isn't even the same Daniel Jackson."

"But it still happened here! Even if he survived, it still happened. He remembers what I did-"

"Stop it, okay. It wasn't your fault. You did everything you could to stop it. We haven't known each other too terribly long, but I know that much about you. I know you did, and you know he feels the same way. It's okay. Just come out from behind there." Then he smiled at her. "Beside, I don't think he even knew we had a fourth person until I said something. You'd better come out before everybody here starts to think I'm crazy."

Sha're smiled weakly at that, and finally nodded. Gulping, she took the hand he offered and let him help her up.

"Okay!" Cameron said, and Daniel saw him stand up, holding someone's hand from behind the device. "Here we go. Like I said, you should know our fourth member too-" And Daniel's heart stopped when the woman who had been hiding stepped out from behind her shield. "-Sha're Jackson."

Sha're's breath caught in her throat, and her grip on Cameron's hand tightened when she saw him, and Daniel stood frozen, staring. It had been strange enough to see her in this time, as he remembered her, but this was different. From what he knew of where this other SG-1 had come from, and how close their reality was to his…this Sha're was what his Sha're would be if she had lived--and the guilt of her death hit him full force again, almost literally knocking him backwards.

"Sha're?" he said, finally finding words. "How? I don't understand…"

Sam put a hand on his arm. "A couple of months after you died, we found her again on another planet, and we were able to bring her back to earth and contact the Tok'ra for help removing the symbiote."

Daniel nodded, his now tear-filled eyes never leaving Sha're. "I know where you're talking about. It, uh…that day turned out differently in my future…"

"Oh…" Sam trailed, obviously picking up on his meaning, and Daniel was glad that the SG-1 of this time wasn't in the room. And he knew he could trust General Hammond not to make any assumptions, or say anything to them.

Cameron let go of Sha're hand, and she tried to reach for it again, he gave her a little shove in Daniel's direction. Swallowing hard, she stepped up to him.

"Dan'iel, I-" she began softly, but he brought a hand up to stop her from saying what he knew she would.

"Don't. I told you that nothing Amaunet did was your fault, didn't I?"

Sha're pulled in a breath and nodded, blinking back tears. "I know…" And she hugged him, and he hugged her back, both holding on tightly. "I love you, Dan'iel. I have missed you so much."

General Hammond stepped around the two, and spoke quietly to the rest of Sha're's SG-1.

"Why don't the three of you come with me to the conference room while I call our SG-1? I think we all have quite a lot to talk about." Then he motioned to Daniel and Sha're. "They'll come in a few minutes."

"Yes sir," Mitchell answered, waving Carter and Teal'c to follow Hammond as well. A moment later everyone else had left, and the door to the 'gate room had slid shut, leaving them alone.

When they were gone, Sha're broke into tears. Daniel held her, offering what comfort he could even though he knew he was different from the Daniel she remembered.

"I've missed you too," Daniel said finally, stroking her hair. "I love you too…"

Sniffing, she pulled back and looked at him. "What do you mean?"

His head lowered. "Where they rescued you…in my reality you died there…I'm sorry; I couldn't-I couldn't stop it, I-" His voice broke and he looked away, willing himself not to cry.

Sha're wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Dan'iel, if you tell me not to blame myself, then why should you blame yourself?"

He smiled briefly. "Good point."

She smiled back. "I am sure that whatever happened, you did everything you could."

_Did I?_ the thought rose again. But he struggled to push it away, knowing she was right in that he should take his own advice to her. Daniel hugged her tightly again. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"No…thank you," Sha're said. "But…I guess it's all right…at least, while we are both here, stranded in this place, this time….At least we have each other now."

His smile returned at that. "But you've got the better end of the deal. There are two of me here."

And with Daniel standing next to her-even though she had had to return to P5R-322 and had felt horrible all day-she found the strength to laugh at that. Maybe…maybe the mission had turned out for good already. Maybe this un-planned trip to this place, seeing him, had been the answer to prayers she'd been waiting for, however brief it might turn out to be.

"Come on," Daniel said, turning toward the door and steering her with him. "We should get to the conference room. General Hammond is right; we have a lot to figure out."

And he knew that would be even more so for Sha're, himself and his younger self, but at the moment. He only happy to be near her again, without the threat of a parasite taking control of her body from her. It had been so long…whatever would happen while her SG-1 was here hadn't really even begun, but already he didn't want it to end.


	28. Another SG1

Yes! I'm so happy! I got to type while I was down here visiting family! Aren't you glad you didn't have to wait another week:) Anyway, come on, guys, I only got one review for the last chapter. Please review if you like the story/chapter and want me to keep going! I really want to know what you think. It keeps me going, LOL. So, anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 28

Danny looked over at Jack again, who still sat beside his bed, when something occurred to him. "Jack, where did he get the glasses?"

"What?" O'Neill said suddenly, not expecting the question.

Jackson sighed. "The other me, Jack. He lost his glasses over there. Where'd he get the ones he was wearing a few minutes ago?"

"Ah! That! Out of his office." Danny raised an eyebrow. "I mean, well, your office, but it's still his where he's from, and he knew where he's, you'd, uh, kept and extra pair. I said I didn't think you'd mind, and besides that you were still kind of unconscious and all…"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Right. Whatever…" He trailed off when he saw Walter Harriman wander into the infirmary, seemingly on a mission. A second later the gate tech's eyes locked with his, and the man headed toward them.

Jack glanced over his shoulder to se what Jackson was looking at. "Oh, hey Walter. What are you doing up here?"

"General Hammond needs SG-1 in his office sir; all of you, if possible," he said, nodding toward Daniel.

Janet Fraiser walked up on the other side of the bed. "I'm sorry, but Daniel isn't going anywhere.

"Janet, really. I'm fine," Danny complained. "General Hammond just wants to see us. I'm not going off-world."

"Your body needs time to finish healing what the sarcophagus couldn't, Daniel. You need rest."

"And he'll get it. I'll make sure of it—_after _we see what the general wants. Come on, doc; you've already checked him over and given your diagnosis. We get it. Just let him out of bed for ten minutes for cryin' out loud," Jack said.

Fraiser looked back and forth between the colonel and the archaeologist for a moment or two, before glancing at Harriman and sighing.

"All right," the doctor relented, and then eyed Danny. "But if you don't that rest ASAP, I promise you I will hunt you down and keep you here until you do. Understood?"

"Okay, Janet. I understand. Thanks," Danny said, throwing off the covers.

Janet smiled. "I'll be right back with some clothes."

Jackson watched her go, and then slowly started to sit up. Halfway up a wince flickered across his face, and Jack's hands went immediately to take his friend's arm and help him the rest of the way.

"I got it, Jack," Danny protested, though he was, in fact, thankful for the help.

"Are you going to be okay?" Harriman asked in concern.

Danny nodded quickly. "Yeah. I'll be fine, Walter—just sore for a while, that's all."

"He did kinda get sliced and diced," Jack offered.

"Oh, nice, Jack. I'm sure Walter's just extremely grateful you told him that."

As expected, the sergeant had paled a bit. "Uh, yeah, uhm…colonel, I should be going. Just go to General Hammond's office as soon as you're ready."

"Will do," Jack smiled.

"Right. Uh, I'm glad you're all right, Dr. Jackson. I'll see you later." And then Walter Harriman retreated, trying not to look hurried.

Danny sighed in frustration. "Great, Jack. You scared him off—the only sane company I had at the moment."

O'Neill put an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Sorry, Danny-boy. Just having some fun. It's mandatory after having an extremely disturbing day."

"You can say that again…" With that Jackson's shoulder's slumped. A few seconds later he felt another hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Doctor Fraiser standing in front of him with a fresh pair of fatigues in her other hand.

"Here," she said, handing the clothes to him. "Now take in easy and get home and get some sleep as soon as you can, okay?"

He nodded. "I will. Thanks." Both doctor and colonel released him, allowing him to stand, but when he did an arm went around his middle.

Jack grabbed his shoulders again, and Janet put a hand on his arm when she saw Jackson grimace. "Daniel? Do you want me to give you something for the pain?" Fraiser asked.

"It's not that bad, Janet. Oh, and not that I'm extremely happy abut it, but you'd better start calling me Danny for now before somebody gets confused…"

Fraiser sighed. "Fine, Danny then. Now, I know it's not really that bad, but a little bit of painkiller would certainly help you function more normally until you can get back to bed and let it heal like I _wish_ you would just do now."

Finally Danny smiled. "Fine—a little then."

"Okay. I'll get it," the satisfied doctor nodded, and then moved off again.

"You get let go of me, Jack."

"Sorry," O'Neill repented, holding up his hands and backing off while Danny pulled his pants on under the infirmary gown and then tugged the flimsy garment off over his head so he could slip on his t-shirt. He had the shirt tucked in and belt buckled by the time Janet returned to hand him a couple of pills, and when Fraiser had given another warning or two and finally left him and O'Neill alone he stepped over to a nearby water fountain to take the medication. Jack patiently waited while the scientist pulled on the long-sleeved green fatigue shirt, which he didn't bother to button, and put on his socks and shoes, which had been left beside the bed for him.

Finally Danny straightened, and looked around, searching for something. "Now where are _my_ glasses?"

That was went Janet came running out to them again, spectacles in hand. "Sorry, I forgot to give these back."

"The missing glasses return!" Jack piped up, grinning.

"Ah. There they are," Danny said, glaring at O'Neill and taking them from her and putting them back on his face. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now remember, Danny, don't-"

"-Overdue it. I got it. Thank you, Janet—for everything," Jackson smiled.

Janet smiled back. "You're welcome. I'm just glad you're all right. We thought we'd lost you there for a while."

Danny sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault, Danny. Now come on; we'd better get to Hammond's office before he starts to wonder where we are," Jack said.

"Right, sorry. Coming…Thanks again, Janet. Talk to you later," Danny finished, and then followed O'Neill from the infirmary.

* * *

Sam and Teal'c were already waiting in Hammond's office when Jack and Danny arrived. The general himself sat quietly, seeming to be deep in thought, and Danny noticed that the screen had been drawn over the window on the other side of the office, which blocked their view of the conference room.

Sam was the first to look up when the two newcomers entered. "Hey. Teal'c and I were just on our way to see you when we got the word General Hammond wanted to see us. How are you feeling?" she asked of Jackson.

"Okay," he nodded, sitting as Hammond motioned him and Jack into chairs.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Jack agreed.

"That is good to know," Teal'c said.

"It is," General Hammond said then, entering then conversation. "Now, I suppose you would all like to know why I called you here so soon after your return."

"That would be nice, sir," O'Neill answered.

Hammond sighed. "Well, there's no easy way to tell you this, but…it seems we have more visitors on our hands."

"The off-world-activation alert a little while ago?" Sam asked.

The general nodded. "Yes."

"What kind of visitors? Cause you wouldn't tell us specifically unless…" Danny's eyes widened. "More visitors like the other me…?"

"It seems so. They came through the gate carrying some device, which was apparently the one from the planet you were on—the one that brought your future self here. This SG-1 is also from the future, the same year as he is, but what makes them different is that they're not from _our_ future."

Sam sat up. "Wait. You're telling us that thing does alternate universes too?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, major. Now, from what your other self has said, their reality is more of an alternate future of this universe than a complete alternate universe in itself, but it is different."

"Okay, alternate future…where did they split off from? Have we figured that out yet?"

Hammond nodded. "Yes. That much was obvious as soon as they saw Doctor Jackson. They tell me that their reality was the same as ours until earlier on this day in their past."

Danny paled. "W-what? What are you saying?"

Jack shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, yeah, this is all kinda confusing…"

General Hammond sighed and looked at Jackson. "I'm sorry, but it seems that in their future, you're dead—were never revived after being killed on hat Goa'uld base."

Danny's eyes closed and his head dropped. "Oh…then…who else is on the team?" he asked hesitantly, looking up again.

"Well, Colonel O'Neill isn't either. Apparently in their future he's been promoted-"

"Sweet!"

Hammond glared at Jack before continuing. "-A Colonel Cameron Mitchell leads this SG-1, there are older versions of Major Carter and Teal'c, and…"

Danny frowned at the general's sudden change in demeanor as he trailed off. "General? Who else is there?"

Finally Hammond sighed and looked at the archaeologist. "The other team member is an older version of your wife, Daniel." The General had chosen to call the two 'Dr. Jackson' and 'Daniel' instead of 'Daniel' and 'Danny'.

Danny sat silently for a moment, stunned. Sha're? Part of SG-1? Of course, he'd always imagined going back to Abydos with her once she'd been freed of Amaunet, but then again, working with both her and his friends didn't sound so bad either. Though of course, this Sha're wasn't working with him and his friends—just his friends, because he was dead in her reality. He swallowed hard. Perfect. This whole situation had just become a dozen times more complicated. How was he supposed to face her?

"Hey…Danny, you okay?" Jack asked, nudging his arm.

Jackson started in surprise. "Oh, uh…yeah, I…I guess…Wow. That's…that's gonna take some getting used to."

Sam patted her friend's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Danny. We'll find a way get them all back where they belong—future or alternate future—and everything will be back to normal before you know it. You'll be fine."

Danny gulped again. "Yeah…sure."

Hammond stood. "All of them are waiting for us in the conference room. We have a lot to discuss."

Teal'c nodded, standing as well. "I believe that to an understatement, General Hammond," almost a bit overwhelmed himself from the surprising turn of events.

The general smiled at that. "You're probably right, Teal'c."

Jack and Sam stood next, and Danny slowly stood after them. _First an alternate Sam and Kawalsky, then a future me, and now this…_

General Hammond opened the other office door, the one that led in the briefing room, and allowed SG-1 to go in first. Daniel, the other Carter and Teal'c, and Mitchell and Sha're were already seated, talking among them selves. When they heard the new arrivals to the conference room enter they all looked up, and immediately both Carters slapped their foreheads and rolled their eyes.

"Not again…" they said in unison, even though they smiled afterwards.

Jack grinned as he and his team made their way to the only seats left at the table, which had just enough chairs left for them and General Hammond. Teal'c was looking at his older self strangely, and it wasn't hard to see why.

Danny, however, stood frozen just inside the doorway, and it wasn't because the other Teal'c had hair.

It was Sha're. It really was. She was different, a bit older, and he had never seen her in BDUs before, much less black ones, but it was her. And there was no Amaunet. This Sha're was free, and the emotions that stirred within him at seeing her he didn't quite understand. He couldn't move.

O'Neill saw this, and quickly stood and again and went back to his friend, steering Jackson toward the chair that was left beside him.

"Come on, Danny-boy. Time to sit down…"

Danny gulped an obeyed, staring at his hands. Maybe for now, it would just be easier not to say anything to her, not look at her if he could. Not until he could straighten out what he was feeling, until he wasn't so stunned.

Hammond sat down last, at the head of the table where he usually did, and took a deep breath. "Well, now that we're all here, I suggest we decide what we're going to do about all this." There were nods around the table. "To being with, what are we going call those of you that have doubles—we want to keep the confusion as low as possible."

The older Carter spoke up. "That shouldn't be a problem, sir. I know you've all already decided what to call the two Daniels. My rank is different—I'm a Lt. Colonel, and…our Teal'c has hair…"

Jack nodded. Yeah, that's cool. Besides, we could always just call our Teal'c 'T' while you guys are here. I do it anyway."

Mitchell shrugged. "Fine with me."

Hammond nodded. "All right then. Now, how do we need to go about finding out how to get the lot of you home?"

Major Carter answered. "Well, we were going to have to figure out how that device the Goa'uld have works, or some way to commandeer it to study it, maybe, but…now we have it, or one just like it, anyway. We'll have to look over it…"

"We being who?" O'Neill questioned.

"Us," both Carters said together.

Cameron winced. "Would you two stop doing that?"

Both grinned. "Sorry," the colonel answered. "But anyway, both of us will be studying the device itself, and we'll need Daniel, Danny, and Sha're to help us read the Goa'uld writing on it."

Danny looked up finally, at Sha're. "You…can do that?" he asked.

She nodded. "I was a host for years; I retained enough of her knowledge to be able to read, write, and speak the language. Not to mention that the memories of when I was a host help me to better understand the inner workings of the Goa'uld even more than Teal'c at times."

Danny nodded "Oh…" No wonder she had joined the SGC. No wonder they had put her n SG-1. With all the knowledge she had, she must have been incredibly useful to them—and then, of course, it also seemed that she fit in well with his friends. That was good. He was glad she seemed happy.

The rest of the meeting was mostly a blur to Danny, as the rest of his team, his future self, and the other SG-1 team discussed plans for studying the device and getting everyone hoe where they belonged. He didn't notice that everyone had stood and was starting to leave until Jack tapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on, Danny-boy; briefing's over."

Jackson looked up. "Huh? What? Oh…Are we going to start on the device now…?"

Sam shook her head. "No. It's really late. General Hammond ordered us all to go home, get some sleep and be back here bright and early in the morning to get started to on this problem."

"What about them?" he asked quietly, nodding toward the five future visitors.

"They will remain on base," Teal'c answered.

Danny nodded. "Ah…"

"Dan'iel?"

Jackson stiffened, slowly turning to see Sha're standing behind him.

"Sha're…oh…hi…" he fumbled, not quite sure how to talk to this future version of his wife."

She smiled at him. "It is good to see you well. I'm sorry for everything that happened…"

Now he smiled back, trying to ease her discomfort as well as his own. "No. It's okay. I'll be fine. I, uh, I'm just not sure how to react to all this…"

"I understand. I am not sure either. This is all so confusing."

Danny nodded. "I know."

Then Sha're hugged him, and once he had clumsily returned the embrace for a moment she pulled away, but left a hand on his arm. "Good night, Dan'iel. I hope you sleep well."

"You too."

And then she walked away with her team and his older self. He watched her go, a small smile on his face even though there were tears in his eyes. It was good to see her that way, free, even though she wasn't really his. If either of them, she belonged more to the other him, the older one, from her time. He was already beginning to understand how his counterpart had felt while they were still imprisoned by Amaunet.

Sighing, he turned the other way to go himself, to head for home, sweet memories of his year with Sha're surfacing.


	29. Sleep

Here you go. New chapter! Finally back from the very last vacation this summer--no more trips! Quicker chapters now! Yay! So, anyway, I hope you enjoy this one, and please review if you like it and want me to continue. Thanks everybody!

Chapter 29

His memories, focusing on pleasant thoughts, kept the tears back as Danny shrugged off questions of whether he was okay from his friends and headed for the surface to his car. He thought he was okay, thought he'd gotten enough rest in the infirmary, thought he was all right with just seeing Sha're free. But on the way home the road and its dark surroundings blurred more than once, and once home he found himself barely able to drag his tired body up the stairs to his apartment. The medication Janet had given him was already starting to wear off.

Danny wanted to collapse on the couch without doing anything else or going any farther, but he made himself trek back to his bedroom to change into something to sleep in and then come back to the kitchen to throw back a couple of Tylenol. He knew it probably wouldn't help much because it wasn't near the strength of what Doctor Fraiser could give him, not to mention that half of the pain was in his head, but it couldn't hurt to try it. Maybe it would help him sleep.

He needed sleep, but he knew it would be difficult, as wildly as his mind was reeling from everything that had happened. It had been an unbelievably long day, with many twists, turns and surprises for him to really take it all in. All he wanted was just to sleep on it all…

Danny trudged back his bedroom and fell onto the bed, weakly grabbing at the covers and pulling them over his head, praying for sleep to take him.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the SGC, Daniel and the SG-1 of an alternate future were left the only occupants of the commissary. They had eaten and put their trays away, and now sat at their table in conversation.

"So, since it obviously wasn't me, which one of you was it that got stuck it some guy's body in the Ori galaxy and alerted them to our presence?" Daniel asked, smilingly looking forward to the answer.

Mitchell partially raised a hand. "That would have been me. Sha're found the device in the stash at Avalon, but it was me and one Vala Mal Doran that ended up trying it out--and I can tell you that I'm never doing _that_ again."

Daniel's eyebrows rose. "Oh, so you do know her."

Carter grinned. "He knows her all right. She took an immediate liking to our dear colonel, and wouldn't leave him alone until she got, well, _removed._"

"Sucked through a singularity to the Ori galaxy when she helped destroy the super-gate?"

"That is correct," Teal'c nodded.

"Same here. She used those Goa'uld bracelet things on you, didn't she?" Daniel asked of Mitchell, grinning.

"Uhm…yeah…. I hadn't met her until she showed up claiming to have some tablet that could lead us to some treasure--which we actually did find, of course--but anyway, Sam tells me she hijacked the Prometheus last year."

Jackson rolled his eyes at the unbelievable memory. "Oh, she did all right. I'm sure it was different in your future though…"

"Why?" Carter asked.

Daniel smirked. "She beamed everybody off the ship to a dead-in-the-water Al'kesh when she took the ship, didn't she?"

Sha're sat up in her seat next to Daniel. "She did; I was the only one of us on that mission--which we never got to complete. Thank goodness we know how Atlantis is doing now."

Daniel nodded. "I know. I was the only member of SG-1 on that mission too, and it went pretty much the same way, except for the fact that when she removed everyone from the ship she kept one--me."

"Why would she do that?" Mitchell asked.

Jackson smiled. "Cameron, take a look in the mirror, then look at me and try to tell me you don't know why."

Mitchell blinked once or twice. "Ohhhhh. I get it. She liked you, didn't she?"

Daniel laughed. "Yeah, and I can tell that it was a little disturbing to have kull warrior telling me I was attractive--she did that before she remembered to take the helmet off."

Carter's eye rolled now. "Oh boy. That's just like her."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Though we do still hope that, where she has been taken, she is all right."

Sha're sighed. "Maybe she was more annoying than an uncooperative mastadge, but yes, I hope she is well. Maybe we will even see her again."

Mitchell looked at her. "I hope she's okay too, but can we _not_ talk about that possibility?"

"My thoughts exactly," Daniel laughed. Then he had another thought. "Hey, what about Jonas? How's he doing in your corner of the multi-verse?"

At the mention of the Kelownan all seemed confusing, and suddenly Daniel felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"You know…Jonas…funny guy from Kelowna who learns really fast? Met him the first time you went there, didn't you?"

Recognition dawned on Sha're's face. "Yes, we met him. I lent him a couple of books and he did have them read extremely quickly. He was a kind, engaging person. I think I would have enjoyed getting to know him more." Then her expression darkened. "But..."

"But what?" he gulped, not feeling good about this at all.

"Daniel…" Carter started.

"What?" he said, switching his attention to her as Sha're seemed relieved to let her take over.

"Daniel, if you know Jonas, then you know that when we first arrived on his planet some of the other scientists he knew were working with an unstable element of naquida called naquadria, right?"

Daniel swallowed hard and nodded, suddenly realizing that he probably knew where she was going with this, and wishing that he didn't.

Carter sighed. "We all knew how unstable it was, and they did too, but even though there was evidence that the Goa'uld living on the Kelowna past had been experimenting with it as well and caused catastrophe, they kept on with it anyway. One day a couple of weeks after we made first contact we tried to dial the 'gate and…" She took a deep breath. "Nothing happened. We asked the Tok'ra to send a ship out there, and half the planet was gone. Jonas is dead, Daniel. I'm sorry. There were a few cells of survivors on the opposite side of the planet from the explosion that we were able to rescue and re-locate to another planet, a few thousand, but that's it."

Carter took in the shell-shocked expression on Daniel's face and winced. "I take it that didn't happen in your reality?"

Daniel shook his head weakly. "N-No," he stammered, his eyes lowering. _It sure went differently, all right…_he thought, grimacing at the painful memories.

Suddenly he was realizing the importance of what he had done in stopping that device on Kelowna from exploding, as shock still coursed through his mind. At the time, he had known it needed to be done if he or anyone for miles was going to survive, but it had never occurred to him that if he hadn't existed, if he hadn't been there to stop it, that the Kelownans would have blown themselves to kingdom come.

When he had descended, before he had regained his memory, his friends had tried to tell him how important he was, not only to them but to other people, that he had done a lot of great things. He hadn't believed them much then, and even after he had regained his life he still hadn't seen it that way. Sometimes his friends complained that he was _too_ modest. Not that he agreed with that assessment now, or anything so vain, but hearing what had happened to Kelowna in a future where he wasn't alive to help certainly gave him something to think about--and he knew he would be thinking about it for a while.

"Daniel? You okay?"

"Dan'iel?"

Jackson looked up at Sam and Sha're's voice when he realized he had lowered his head in thought and tuned the others out.

"Oh. Yeah…I'm okay. It's just...that went so differently in my future…"

"How differently?" Mitchell asked.

Daniel sighed. "It's a _really _long story--one that I don't really want to go into right now. Not to mention that it's late anyway. We should be getting some sleep if we're going to figure this out tomorrow."

Carter stifled a yawn. "I can agree with that."

Mitchell didn't bother to smother his own yawn. "Yeah. I'm beat."

Daniel stretched. "You think you're tired. Try dying yet _again_ and coming back all in the same day. What with starting to get the memories of the altered past from my younger self's point of view, I remember what happened to him too, so I feel like I've done it twice in one day...not fun," he grimaced.

"You can say that again," Carter grimaced.

"It was a lot less fun on our end," Sha're sighed miserably.

Daniel frowned and straightened again. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I can almost forget…I mean, it's not much different than talking to my own friends back in my reality, 'cause except for Sha're being here, you're all pretty much the same…"

"Well, in a way that's sort of good to know I guess," Carter smiled. Then she stood, yawning again. "Okay, I'm off to bed"

Mitchell was the next to get to his feet, followed by Teal'c, Sha're, and Daniel. Carter stepped over to Daniel and hugged him.

"It's good to see you again," she said again, and they smiled at each other before she started toward the door out into the corridor. "Good night, everybody!" she called over her shoulder.

Teal'c stopped beside him next and put a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "It is good indeed to see you alive and well, Daniel Jackson, even if it is not in our reality," the jaffa said warmly, smiling.

"Thanks Teal'c," Daniel said, and then the larger man moved off to make way for Mitchell, who shook the archaeologist's hand.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I hope we can get to know each other a little better before this is over--though you probably have the advantage on me."

"Yes, I probably do," Jackson agreed, grinning. "You were a little annoying at first, trying to get all of us back together when we had other things to do, but I think we're starting to break you in."

Mitchell shrugged. "Thought so. That's what's happening in my reality. So…good night, and I'll see you in the morning, Jacksons," he said, smiling and turning to go.

Once the others were gone Daniel's smile faded, his thoughts returning to Kelowna and what Carter had said, to the point that he forgot he had been left alone with Sha're.

"Dan'iel, are you all right?" she asked quietly, pulling him from his thoughts.

Daniel blinked and looked down at the hand she had placed on his arm, then at her face, which showed only concern.

"Yeah. I'm sorry; I kinda spaced out there for a minute."

She smiled softly. "So you still do that often, do you? It does not surprise me."

He returned her smile. _Me either. But there've been way too many things to space out thinking about recently…_"We should probably head that way too," he suggested.

She nodded, and when he started toward the door Sha're followed right beside him, hooking one of her arms around his and holding on tenderly, her head against his shoulder. Gulping as the simple, loving action reminded him how much he really had missed her, he too her hand in his where their arms were linked. With no one else in the corridor they walked down, he found himself walking slowly without complaint from Sha're. Suddenly neither really wanted to reach the end of the hallway, where they would part to separate rooms on opposite sides of it.

But they reached that point all too quickly, and Daniel stopped and gently pulled his hand and arm from hers as he sighed.

"Good night," he said quietly. He looked at her face once more, the face he missed so much, and then turned away from her to go into his room, but he felt her catch his hand again.

"Dan'iel, wait-"

Daniel stopped abruptly when suddenly his arm would not go any farther, and started to turn instinctively back to her to see what had stopped him without even time to register what she had said. And before he knew what had happened Sha're had kissed him, and he was kissing her in return, their hands still intertwined at their sides.

After a moment both stopped, pulled their faces a few inches apart and looked at each other.

"Is something wrong, Dan'iel?" Sha're asked of the look on his face.

Daniel shook his head and gulped. "No…not really. It's just that I'm not sure that was…" he trailed off, at a loss for the right word to use.

"Appropriate?" she asked, lowering her eyes. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable, Dan'iel. I have missed you so much; I only…"

"No, it's okay. I know how you feel, remember? And under other circumstances I wouldn't have a problem, but there is another me here, and…"

"You do not wish for him to feel…awkward? I know. I do not want that, either. I do not want to hurt either of you, but, Dan'iel, to him I am still alive here. This is before what happens to me in this future. Don't you think he would understand? We have both lost the other in our own realities--and we are from the same time. Don't you think that we deserve to spend time together while we can? And not have to act professionally all the time? After all, for all practical purposes, we are married…I love you, Dan'iel…"

Daniel sighed. "I know, I…I guess I agree with you. And I love you too, Sha're, but you just got here--both of us just got here. Maybe we shouldn't jump to conclusions. I think we should give each other a little more time…"

Sha're nodded slowly. "Maybe you are right…I did jump to conclusions, I suppose." She sighed and let go of his hand. "I'm sorry. Good night, Dan'iel."

But before she could move off he pulled her into his arms. "Good night," he said softly, as she returned the embrace.

When he let go of her she smiled up at him before turning go into her room. Daniel smiled back and watched her go, not moving until the door closed on another smile she gave him. Then he sighed heavily and went into his own room wondering if, with everything that had happened today, he would be able to sleep.


	30. Nightmares

This chapter took a little longer than usual, and I'm sorry about that guys! I got a little stumped, and then I was busy working on another story...sorry! OK, I promise I won't do that again if you people will leave reviews, ok? That always helps me go faster. :) So anyway, here's a new chapter for your enjoyment, and for those of you reading my other SG-1 story, "2018", there will be a new chapter for that up shortly as well, within the next day or so. Thanks!

Chapter 30

It was happening again. The nightmare. The one he'd been hoping he would never face ever since Sha're had been taken as a host. He'd never thought he would die at his own wife's hand, under the Goa'uld's control. But it had happened. He'd died. And it was going to happen again and he couldn't stop it.

Danny struggled against the jaffa, but they were too strong. There was no one to help him, and the dagger was in Sha're's hand again. Amaunet was moving closer, that smile he hated on her face.

No. NO! He couldn't go through this again. Not again. Not like this, especially when he knew what was coming. It had been bad enough the first time.

Amaunet drew back her hand to strike, and Danny panicked.

"No! Sha're, don't! Help me, please! Sha're!"

But Sha're said nothing, the Goa'uld said nothing, only smirked at him and thrust forward with the knife. And suddenly it was all slow-motion.

NO! No, this had to be a dream. It had to be! Help! Wake up, _wake up_!

And just as the dagger pierced his flesh, sending pain searing through his torso, Danny woke, screaming. He opened his eyes at the sound of his scream, and he found himself in his bed, doubled over in pain under the covers. He groaned when he realized that part of the dream hadn't been his imagination.

Grimacing, he pushed his blankets off; he was sweating, and when he reached up to his face he found tears there. A nightmare. It had only been a nightmare. He'd been having way too many of those lately.

Danny moaned and wrapped trembling arms around his middle. His stomach still hurt, though, and suddenly he realized that at the moment it was much worse than the soreness that Doctor Fraiser had said would be there for several days, and worse than the phantom pains he's been experiencing from being stabbed. After a another moment or two of laying there, breathing deeply and hoping it would go away, he finally recognized the pain for what it was--hunger. He needed food. He hadn't eaten in over three days.

That's right; eating something ASAP was one of the final things Janet had reminded him to do before letting him leave sickbay with Jack. When he'd woken up in the infirmary there had been an IV in that had been re-hydrating him, but that had been all, and that had been taken out shortly he'd woken up, after his older self had left to check on the off-world-activation alert for the colonel--the off-world-activation that had brought the other SG-1 team from an alternate future, the team that included a future version of Sha're…

Jackson slowly sat up and hung his legs over the edge of the bed. For a moment he put his face in his hands and moaned again as the memories of the previous day came back to him. Finally he scrubbed his hands over his unshaven face and stood, wincing in pain and wishing that hunger was the only thing hurting him. But it wasn't, and he knew getting something into his stomach wouldn't take away all of it. As he'd expected, the Tylenol hadn't helped at all. Well, at least some of his current discomfort could be solved easily.

Or…not so easily, he thought again, as he stumbled into his kitchen, switched on the light and squinted around the room against the sudden light. There was almost nothing in here; he'd been planning on going grocery shopping as soon as the got back from P5R-316, but then P5R-316 had become the Amaunet incident and he'd been gone much longer than expected and on the way home earlier that night he'd forgotten to stop at the store near his apartment building. Perfect.

Sighing, Danny made his way over to the cabinets to see what was still there. When he didn't find much he grabbed the only box of Easy Mac left, emptied three packets of noodles instead of one into a bowl, and stuck it in the microwave. Then he turned and, seeing the almost empty bag loaf of bread sitting on the counter that probably needed to be finished soon before it molded, brought it with him to the table and sat down to wait for his macaroni to finish cooking, munching on a slice of white bread.

By the time the microwave dinged, only two of the five pieces of bread that had been left remained in the bag. Jackson pushed the bag aside and made his way back to the counter. He pulled the bowl out, found a clean spoon, and emptied the three corresponding packets of cheese into the bowl. Sitting down at the table again, he stirred in the cheese until the cheese sauce was well enough mixed and then dug in.

When Danny finished the huge bowl of macaroni and cheese, however, he still wasn't full. Searching the cabinets again, he broke out a pot and the Spaghetti O's. Thankfully, even though he wasn't full he'd eaten enough that the pain in his stomach was a little better, and even if he couldn't do it in complete comfort at least he was able to stay standing relatively easily while he stayed in front of the stove, stirring his next course--which he quickly realized would be his last, because it was all that was left. He would have to eat breakfast in the commissary on base, and he _definitely_ had to go to the store tomorrow.

The Spaghetti O's were finally ready, and he poured them into the same bowl he's been using a few minutes before, after he rinsed it. Then he sat and ate, realizing that it had been a while since he'd actually eaten this stuff, and that it had probably sitting in the back of the cabinet for a while. He grimaced, but calmed again when he noticed that it didn't taste strange. He should have thought about that before opening the can, looked to see if it was out of date, but now the can was in the trash and he'd already started eating them anyway. Well, they seemed fine. He'd gotten lucky that his slow mind at this time of night hadn't gotten him in trouble.

When he finished eating, Danny dumped the pot and bowl into the sink and ran water into them, deciding to wash them in the morning. He was too tired at the moment; his eyes were already starting to close again.

Sighing, the exhausted and sore archaeologist dropped onto the couch, pulled a pillow under his head and closed his eyes, hoping that the nightmares wouldn't return. Once was bad enough. If they continued, he didn't know how he could face anyone in the morning, much less Sha're.

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Daniel gasped as he awoke, sweat-drenched. He sat up, swallowing hard and wiping the moisture from his face. He took an unsteady breath. Nightmares. Perfect. That was all he needed. His week was going bad enough already, and if the good night of sleep he was supposed to be getting was going to be disturbed by bad dreams, he wouldn't be awake enough in the morning to be any help with their problem--the problem of getting home.

He sighed. What had those night mares been about again…? Oh. As if he could forget--more dreams along the lines of the ones he'd been having before they'd left the SGC of the future. Only worse, with new elements from what had happened to him there this time. And…something else.

Daniel moaned, leaning forward and putting his head in his hands when he realized what it was. The knife, what had happened to his younger self. He'd seen it, felt the pain, and remembered the horror--all as if it had happened to him yesterday and at the same time as if it were an old memory that had haunted him for years. Part of him felt as if it had. He knew that it was different from what had happened the first time, and he still remembered it that way, but the new memories of the altered past were becoming more and more real to him.

He wondered if eventually he would forget that it had ever been different. On that note, when he got home what would his friends remember? If his hunch was correct, they would probably only remember this past. Not that it would change much. His future would still be the same whenever and however he returned, but he was already becoming aware of one or two subtle differences. One of the more clear ones was vague recollection of Mitchell saying something else before Daniel had separated from the team--something about being careful around the time device if he found it, because they wouldn't want anybody getting lost like 'the other guy from back then', and Sam agreeing, and him knowing what they meant, remembering a future self that had been stuck in their time years before. He supposed that really had turned out to be him.

Try as he might, however he had no different memories from after where he was now. The new memories past memories only made themselves known after the events had happened where he was now. It was all too confusing, frightening…and it wasn't helping his sleep any.

Daniel sighed and flopped back onto his pillows again, but winced when it made him aware of an ache in his stomach. It wasn't bad, and in fact barely noticeable and the kind of thing one would usually only notice if they were thinking about it, but it was there nonetheless.

Jackson frowned and pushed his hand under his t-shirt, running it over the skin there and then pressing down to check more closely for injuries, but he found none. He hadn't expected to, because what he was feeling wasn't there. At least not anymore. It was only the phantom pains of old wounds come back to haunt him, and maybe even a bit of real ache. After all, even with six year old healed stab wounds that was possible…and Daniel shuddered when he realized how real all of this was. In six years, the younger self that he had been talking to only hours before would _be _him, and he had been that younger self at one point. He wasn't changing things anymore, couldn't think that he was in an alternate past anymore. Now it _was_ his past.

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Jack O'Neill looked up at Danny's balcony as he pulled into the parking lot at the archaeologist's apartment building. All the light still seemed to be off and he detected no movement. Huh. The younger man had been late before, but he'd never still been sleeping two after he was supposed to show up for work.

Well, after what he'd gone through the past three days or so, not to mention the previous day specifically, the colonel couldn't really blame him. Now though, it was time to wake p, and he had volunteered for wake-up call duty. He'd tried it by phone at first, but when Danny hadn't answered jack had opted to go out to his apartment instead. And he couldn't deny that he was a bit worried about his friend.

The down side to coming here, though, was that the building was older and didn't have an elevator, which didn't do O'Neill's knees any good as he trudged up to the top floor. Once outside Danny's apartment he knocked a few times just in case, but when there was no answer as expected, he tried the door.

The knob turned easily, and Jack let himself quietly into the apartment. He started to head back toward the bedroom to wake his friend, but soon spotted the archaeologist passed out on the couch in a rumpled t-shirt and pajama pants and changed direction. As he got closer he realized that Jackson was shifting in his sleep, moaning something, and he frowned. Closing the distance between them a bit more quickly, O'Neill put a firm hand on the younger man's shoulder and started to shake him.

"Come on, Danny. Time to wake up, buddy."

Jackson stiffened, and his moaning became pleading, panicked words. But O'Neill couldn't understand them--it sounded like Abydonian. The colonel shook more urgently.

"It's just a dream, Danny. Wake up for me, will ya?"

Danny pulled away, shaking his head as his voice rose. The only two words Jack could make out were 'Sha're', and what, if he remembered correctly, was the Abydonian word for 'no'. But it sure was one heck of a forceful no. O'Neill's blood ran cold when he realized what his friend was having nightmares about. _Aww crap. The poor guy just got out of there; why does this have to happen, make him relive it again…?_

Now thoroughly worried, Jack took his friend's arms and pulled him upright and propped him against the back of the couch so he could free one hand to slap at Danny's face.

"Wake up, Danny! It's a _dream_ Daniel! Come on!"

But Jackson's demeanor only became more frightened, and he shook his head violently and tried to pull away again, sink back into the couch as the words came out more quickly.

"Danny!"

Danny shouted again, the words coming out in a tearless sob. Then he screamed, and if Jack hadn't been standing right in front him and known that he was alright he would have thought that he was really in agony. _Oh crap_, O'Neill thought, catching Jackson's free arm when it swung toward him.

"DANIEL!"

Finally Danny's eyes snapped open, full of tears and fear as he gasped.

"Danny…?" Jack asked carefully, slowly sitting down beside him.

"J-Jack?" Danny's eyes drifted toward Jack, his chest still heaving and his wrists still caught in O'Neill's grip. When he saw that they were in a position to strike at someone he lowered them, and Jack let go.

"Yeah, Danny. I'm right here. You all right?"

Jackson collapsed back against the couch and closed his eyes, gulping back the tears in his throat as his arms went around his hurting middle. "Not really," he said quietly.

"Nightmares?"

Danny nodded, "Yeah."

"Bad?"

"Oh yeah," he sighed.

"I'm sorry…" Jack said slowly, not sure what else to do. "So…do you usually speak Abydonian in your sleep?"

Jackson's eyes opened and looked at O'Neill again. "What? Oh…I don't know. I wouldn't; there usually aren't other people around when I sleep…Which begs the question, 'Why are you here?'"

O'Neill motioned toward the digital clock sitting on the coffee table in front of them and shrugged. "You're two hours late, and you weren't answering the phone. Guess you were kinda dead to the world. "

Danny looked at the time and winced. "Sorry."

"Ah, it's okay. Considering how yesterday went for you, nobody back on base is too upset--just get over there soon."

He nodded. "Right. Thanks for waking me up. You can go on back if you want," he said, leaning forward as a precursor to standing. "I'll come as soon as I can get rea-oww!"

O'Neill's hand shot out to catch Jackson's shoulder when he cried out and fell back to the couch after starting to stand. "Danny?" he asked in concern.

Danny blinked a few times, both in surprise and to keep back the lingering tears brought by the nightmares. "Uh, sorry…I'm okay. I'm just still a lot sorer than I thought I'd be; tried to get up too fast or something…" But the pain remained, and part of him wondered if it was his mind playing tricks on him again. He knew that some of it was real; Janet had warned him that it would be there for several days, but as vivid as the dream he'd just had had been, it wouldn't have surprised him if the pain that was piercing his abdomen was mostly still in his head. He sighed heavily and rested his head in his hands, his elbows propped on his knees.

Jack gave a sympathetic wince and rubbed his friend's back for a moment, before speaking again.

"Hey, how about this? I'll wait here until you get ready to go, and I'll give you a ride out to the mountain today. We can stop by the infirmary first thing when we get back and see what Fraiser can do for you."

Danny lifted his head again and nodded weakly. "Okay…thanks Jack."

"You're welcome," O'Neill said, patting Jackson's leg before standing. He held out a hand to his friend. "Want some help?"

Silently Danny reached up and took the offered hand, and Jack supported him as he stood, pain flickering across his face.

"You got it?" O'Neill asked once he was on his feet.

Danny let go of Jack's hand. "Yeah, I got it. Just had to get up. I'll be okay."

"You sure?"

"Jaaack…" the archaeologist gave him an exasperated look, and the colonel raised his hands and stepped back.

"Sorry, just checking--you know how I am," he shrugged.

"Overbearing, overprotective, obnoxious, sarcastic…" Danny muttered, moving off and shuffling towards his bedroom and his clothes.

"What?"

Danny waved a hand above his head back at Jack. "Never mind. I'll be right back."

Jack sighed as the door closed behind his friend, and then headed into the kitchen to see if he could find something to have ready for Danny to eat by the time he came back out. After a minute or so of looking around, however, he found nothing--not even a Pop-tart.

"Hey Danny, where's all your food!" he called loudly.

"I ate the rest of it last night. I'll get something to eat in the commissary," came the reply from the other side of the wall.

Jack rolled his eyes and went back out into the living room to plop down on a chair until Danny came out of his room. It was another few minutes before he did come out, fully dressed and ready to go. He still looked exhausted and a little pale though. O'Neill stood up again.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Jackson shrugged. "I don't know. I slept most of the night, I guess. But I kept having nightmares…" He gulped and looked away.

"Sha're?" O'Neill asked quietly.

He nodded. "Jack, I don't know if I can…" He trailed off and winced, but Jack knew what he meant. He clapped him on the shoulder.

"It's okay Danny-boy. I'll be right there for you, okay?"

Danny looked at him again. "Thanks," he said softly.

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Jack's hands tightened on the steering wheel when he heard a heavy sigh from the other side of the cab of the truck. He was still worried about his friend, who right now sat slumped against the passenger door, his head resting on the window as he stared out through it. One of his arms was still wrapped around his middle, but he didn't seem to be hurting as much as he had been just after waking up anymore. That much was good. What wasn't good was how quiet Danny had been since leaving his apartment. Daniel Jackson was never this quiet.

O'Neill glanced over at him again, saying the first thing that came to mind. "So you are planning on going grocery shopping sometime soon, right?"

Danny looked back at him. "Huh? Oh, yeah-" Suddenly he stopped and sat up. "Jack, look out!"

The colonel returned his attention to the road just in time to see the car that was pulling out in front of them, serve away from it and stamp on the brakes.

The next thing Danny knew the truck had jerked to a stop on the shoulder, and the back of Jack's right arm had slammed into his nose.

"Yow!" Jackson cried in pain, jerking back into the seat as his hands came up to cover the offended part of his face. "Jack! What was that!"

O'Neill flinched. "Are you okay? Sorry…I was a parent, remember?"

Danny grimaced, still gently rubbing his nose. "Yeah, but I highly doubt Charlie was as tall as I am--or that you were in the habit of nearly knocking his head off every time you had to stop quickly."

Jack shrugged. "It's been a few years. So my aim's off."

"Oh for cryin' out loud…" Danny said, his eyes rolling.

But despite himself, he started to laugh, and soon Jack joined in. It didn't help the ache in his stomach any, but for a minute or so, as both of them laughed, Danny didn't care. After the way his week had gone so far, it helped just to laugh for a moment. And it helped him feel like maybe, just maybe, he would be all right.


	31. Detour to Dinotime

Wow, the last time I updated was...two days ago. A record for me! Yay! Please review guys! I really need to know what you all think of the story to keep me going. The only reason I got this chapter done so fast was that I was extremely bored today. So please help me out and review. :)

Chapter 31

"So, any progress?" Jack asked immediately as he walked into Sam's lab, Danny trailing behind him.

Both Samantha Carters looked up from where they stood with Daniel, Sha're, and Mitchell and smiled when they saw Jackson. Danny smiled sheepishly back at them. He'd eaten breakfast, though he hadn't been in the mood for much more than cereal and now it almost past time for lunch, and Janet had given him more of what she'd given him the day before, which had banished the physical pain. Subtle phantom pains still came and went, but weren't proving to be too much of a bother. Overall, he felt much better, his confidence that he could make it through the day without any physical or emotional breakdowns renewed.

Jack, for one, was glad of it all, too, and again amazed at his friend's ability to bounce back from just about anything.

It was Daniel who answered. "Not much."

"What's the problem?" Danny asked, coming up beside his older self to look at the panel he and Sha're were leaning over.

"I second that," Jack added, peering curiously over Danny's shoulder. Jackson shrugged backwards, letting O'Neill know he was too close for the younger man's comfort, and stepped back. "Sorry."

Before Danny could respond, Sha're spoke up. "Translating Goa'uld in itself is not hard, but the problem is that there is not much of it."

"Yeah…and whatever is there is either cryptic or otherwise completely unhelpful," Daniel sighed.

"Oh…where are the Teal'cs?" Jack asked.

"There wasn't much they could do to help. None of this made sense to him either," Carter said.

"I think they're off kel-no-riming," Sam added, waving a hand in the direction of the corridor.

"Kel-no-_what_?" Mitchell asked, from where he leaned against a nearby desk.

Jack looked at him strangely. "You really _haven't_ been with SG-1 very long, have you?"

Carter winced and pulled Mitchell away from O'Neill before he gave anything away.

"Kel-no-rim," she told him quietly. "It's a type of deep meditation used by jaffa. Teal'c used to have to do that instead of sleep a lot of the time when he still had his symbiote. But they don't know about Tritonin yet or that he doesn't have junior anymore, so just keep it on the down-low, okay?"

"Yeah, okay Sam, but…junior?"

She rolled her eyes. "General O'Neill started that. It's what he used to call the symbiote."

"Ah," Mitchell said, somewhat knowingly.

Carter smiled and patted his arm, then moved back to the rest of the group.

"Ok, so…what _have_ you got?" Jack was asking.

Daniel motioned to one short inscription in front of him, which was just above one of the largest buttons on the device. "Well, this one says something along the lines of _repair_."

"Does it open some kind if instruction file on how to fix the thing?" Danny asked.

"We don't know," Sam said. "We haven't been authorized to actually press any of the buttons yet, or try to turn it on or anything. General Hammond doesn't want to take a risk like that just yet."

"I don't blame him," Mitchell said, crossing his arms.

"Besides, it could also mean _return_, or something similar," Sha're offered.

"What about the rest of it?" O'Neill questioned.

"A lot of it has been scratched out and re-written, scratched out and re-written again. It's kind of hard to tell, but it's obvious that this was a prototype of whatever they were trying to do. They weren't even sure what they were doing when they were building, testing, adjusting it. They weren't sure of exactly what to put, so none of it makes a lot of sense. In fact, this one repair, or return, or whatever it is is the only clear inscription, and even it doesn't really help us unless we can try it." Daniel said.

Sha're nodded. "It was this way when Apophis stole it from another Goa'uld--a minor one, not a system lord. Apparently that Goa'uld had once come across the Quantum Mirror on P3R-233, and had been studying it, but had to abandon it when yet another Goa'uld attacked, leaving the planet as you found it-which was recently here, if I understand correctly…"

"That's right. And?" Jack prodded.

She pursed her lips in that cute look of concentration that made both Danny and Daniel smile as they remembered it.

"Well, the Goa'uld Apophis took this device from brought with him what knowledge he had gained from the study of the mirror and tried to use it to create something similar, also adding element of an Ancient time device he had found, but ultimately was never able to make it function properly."

When she stopped when she saw both Jacksons smiling at her almost stupidly. "What?"

"Nothing," they said simultaneously, looking away and ending up looking at each other. They exchanged knowing smile before Jack planted himself between them.

"Okay, so now what?"

"I don't think there's much more we can do sir," Sam said. "Not until General Hammond allows us to experiment. But that will probably be a while. He wants us to exhaust all other options first."

"But you just said there wasn't anything else we could do," Mitchell protested. "That sounds like all other options have been exhausted to me--and it's only been a few hours since we-well, you guys, I haven't done much-started this. If you're already out of stuff to do, I'd say there's nothing useful here to work with."

"That's not exactly true. We can try to decipher the other inscriptions…can't we?" Danny asked.

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know."

"I do not either," Sha're sighed, setting the notebook in her hands down on the desk.

Danny smiled to himself when he saw notes scribbled in Abydonian on the paper around where she had copied the Goa'uld symbols from the device. Either writing English hadn't come as easily to her as speaking it, or she simply preferred to write in her own language. Either way, seeing her writing in the language he used to speak and write every day with her back on Abydos…He wasn't exactly sure how, and didn't really care, but somehow it made part of him feel warm.

Daniel saw his younger self's eyes lingering on the notebook, and from the expression on Danny's face could gather much of what he was thinking. His own reaction when he had first seen her writing that way had been similar, and perhaps even more knowing. It had helped to know that she too held onto the memory of Abydos. He wondered if it was for the same reason he did, because all he had left of her was what he had left of Abydos. All he had left of Abydos was what he had left of her.

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earlier that morning

Daniel sighed before taking another sip from the coffee mug in his hands. He'd gotten up early, after not being able to sleep much more once he'd woken up. He'd been in here, in Sam's lab, studying the device for almost an hour, and it would be at least another hour before everyone else showed up. He still had plenty of time to himself.

That, however, was when the door opened, letting the light from the lab spill out into the dim corridor and framing the small female figure that stood in the doorway.

Sha're looked up from her own cup as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Oh…Dan'iel. I did not think anyone else would be here yet…"

He smiled briefly at her. "Neither did I." He paused. "So…you took my place as the team's chronic coffee-drinker too, huh?"

She blinked. "What…?" Then she looked down at the warm mug in her hands and smiled back. "Oh, yes, I suppose I did."

Daniel's hands went to his hips. "I tried to give you coffee on Abydos once, and you said it was the most disgusting thing you'd ever tasted."

She laughed. "Well, you must admit, Dan'iel, that MRE coffee can't compare to the real thing."

He quirked an eyebrow. "That's true."

"And you did not have any sugar to put in it then, either."

"You drink yours sweet?" _Of course you do…_he thought, smiling.

Sha're nodded and took another sip, then set the cup down on the desk and pulled her notebook out from under her arm. When she looked at him again he was still smiling, looking at her, lost in memories.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Dan'iel?"

Daniel blinked and shook his head. "Sorry…I just can't help remembering…" he shrugged.

She patted him arm. "I know," she said quietly, smiling sadly. Then she picked up the notebook and opened it, flipping to where she had begun the day before to take notes on the device and moving around him to look at it again.

Daniel saw the notes written in Abydonian and smiled to himself again, more discretely this time, and sipped at his coffee some more.

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"Hey, earth to Space Monkey!" Jack O'Neill's voice came, bringing him back to the present, and Daniel felt a tap on his shoulder. Both he and his younger counterpart, however, turned to the colonel in annoyance.

"What, Jack?" they said.

Jack took a couple steps back and held up a finger. "Okay, you've got to stop doing that. It's scary."

"Which 'that'?" Danny asked.

"Staring off into space or saying things at the same time?" Daniel added.

"Both-but especially saying things at the same time. You _and_ the Carters do it. And I actually haven't been around both Teal'cs at the same time much yet, but they probably say 'indeed' together every few minutes. So really, try not to do that, will ya?"

The Jacksons looked at each, then grinned wickedly and looked back at O'Neill.

"We'll try," they agreed at the same moment.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Thanks for all the help."

The colonel sighed and stepped away from Daniel, turning, only to hit the corner of the desk in the speed of the turn and be flung backwards, towards the device that sat not two feet away.

"Colonel, look out-!" Sam cried.

"Jack, don't-!" Daniel yelped, as both Jacksons reached out to catch him. But neither made it in time, and O'Neill fell against one of the panels.

Jack only had time to glance down at the compressed buttons and mutter a colorful word before the brilliant flash of light took them all.

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Oh…perfect. Just perfect, Daniel thought in dismay as he lowered his arms. The light died away to reveal a forest around them. They could be anywhere, any time. He slapped a hand to his forehead and moaned at the stupidity of it all: He'd tripped, and ended up here. Now all of them were…wherever here was, because Jack had bumped into Sam's desk.

"Ohhh, I cannot believe that just happened," he sighed.

"What _did _just happen?" Danny asked.

"I pushed a button," Jack frowned, straightening.

"And now we're somewhere…else," Mitchell added.

"Okay, Carters, where are?" O'Neill asked. He twisted around, crunching leaves under his feet, but all he could see were trees.

"Over here, sir," Sam called.

The colonel turned to look in the direction she was indicating, and saw that they weren't in just any forest, but a forest on a mountain, looking out over a very different, yet very familiar view.

"What the…"

"We're still at Cheyenne Mountain sir, just not inside it anymore," Carter said. "And, most definitely not in the same time anymore."

"You can say that again. What happened to the city?" Cameron asked, noting that Colorado Springs was gone.

"We're probably a few hundred years or more in the past, before it was built," Sam said.

"Or the very distant future," Daniel offered.

"Yeah yeah, okay, now how do we get back?" O'Neill asked.

"That is what we have been trying to figure out," Sha're said. "And if we had the rest of us would have gone home by now."

Jack winced. "Okay, so I take it we won't be home in time for dinner?"

"Probably not, sir," Sam said quietly.

"Nice one, Jack," Danny sighed.

"Ouch"

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With not much to do but stand around while the three Jacksons and two Carters worked on getting them back, Jack O'Neill and Cameron Mitchell soon became bored. The two SG-1 commanders sat nearby on the grass, staring out from the mountain over where Colorado Springs would supposedly be one day--or had been once, but they didn't want to think about that alternative.

Mitchell sighed. "Ya know, I kinda almost feel left out."

Jack looked at him. "Of what?"

He shrugged. "Half my team, and _all_ the rest of yours have a counterpart to hang out with. Us, we've got..."

"Nothin'?"

"Pretty much."

"Ah," Jack nodded. "Yeah, well, I've already had to deal with another me once. Don't know if I'd want to do it again."

"Right. Harlan and his inorganic copies of the four of you--almost eight years ago.

O'Neill raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know that?"

"Read all the files."

"_All_ of them?"

"Yes sir, every one."

"Huh…" Jack trailed off and sat up straighter when he heard rustling in the bushes a few feet away. He reached immediately for his sidearm but met only air and remembered that he hadn't planned this. He didn't have a weapon. "Darn it."

"Problem?" Cameron asked.

"Maybe…" Slowly he stood and made his way closer to the moving bushes.

"Jack, what is it?" Danny called, noticing what he was doing.

"Shhh!" O'Neill waved over his shoulder, quieting the rest of the group down. All of them stopped what they were doing and watched him and the bush curiously until, finally, a small animal about the height of the colonel's knees burst forth from inside it and ran around Jack's legs. "What the-" O'Neill muttered for second time since they'd been dropped here, as he stared in shock at whatever it was.

"Is that what I think it is?" Mitchell asked quietly, his eyes wide. The Jacksons and Carters had much the same expression except for Sha're, who was a bit confused.

"Dan'iel, what is wrong? What is it?" she asked.

Daniel licked his lips nervously. "It's a-it's a dinosaur."

"Uh oh," Danny said, paling

"Holy Hannah," Carter gulped.

"You can say that again. We're a whole lot farther back than we thought we were," Sam added.

"Oh boy," Jack sighed as the small two-legged creature ran off. "Okay, the rest of keep doing…whatever it is you do. Mitchell and I are going to go check the perimeter."

Danny crossed his arms. "What perimeter?"

"The one we're going to make and patrol to be sure we don't get eaten. You got a problem with that Danny-boy?"

The younger man's eyebrows went up. "Nope, no I don't have a problem with that. Go right ahead, please…"

Sha're looked around nervously as O'Neill and Mitchell moved off through the trees and brush. "Eaten? Dan'iel, what did he mean? I have heard some things about these dinosaurs that once lived on your planet long ago, but…"

Daniel briefly put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "It's okay. Hopefully we won't have to worry about it. If we can just figure out how to make this thing take us back…"

She nodded and sighed. "Right."

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"Wait a minute."

"What?" O'Neill asked, stopping and looking at Mitchell as they made their way quietly through the forest.

"Well…I'm no expert, but didn't those little ones usually run in packs?"

Jack shrugged. "The scientists could have been wrong."

"True…" He trailed off when just ahead of them several more of the little things came out of the bushed and ran around them. "Or they could have been right"

"Whatever," Jack said, and then started walking again. He stopped short once more, however, when he realized that they were just outside of a clearing, and that he could see something moving in the open space…something big.

The two men looked at each other, and then quietly peeked through the brush into the clearing.

What they saw there wasn't pretty, and jack had to struggle to keep from gasping and giving away their position. What looked like a Triceratops lay on the ground, dead, half of one of its sides gone. And over the bloody remains of that section of the dead dinosaur stood another one, even more frightening. A Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"Aww crap." Mitchell whispered. First we get thrown back in time, alternate past, meet dead people--now we're gonna _be_ dead people…"

"Be quiet would you?" O'Neill whispered back fiercely. "We are _not _going to be dead people. We're not going to get eaten if I have anything to say about it. Now, back p slowly, and let's just go back to the others, _quietly_."

Mitchell nodded and carefully backed up a step, keeping the crunching of leaves to a minimum and hoping that what little sound they made wasn't heard. Jack watching him, praying the same thing.

Unfortunately, however, fortune didn't seem to be liking them much today. On the second step back Mitchell tripped on a root, sending him flailing backwards to the ground loudly with a gasp.

Jack's eyes closed. "Oh no…" Nervously he looked back toward the dinosaur as he helped Cameron up. Just as he'd feared, it had spotted them. It was staring at them through the hole in the underbrush they had made. "Okay…on the count of three, run." Mitchell nodded quickly, staring wide-eyed back at the huge animal. "One…two…"

But on two the T-Rex started toward them of it's own accord, letting out a roar that pierced the calmness of the forest.

"RUN!" Both men shouted, and then followed their own advice.

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Those members of SG-1 still gathered around the device looked up in alarm as the roar penetrated their ears, sending chills up their spines.

"That can't be good," Daniel simply.

"Ya think?" Carter said.

"Dan'iel?" Sha're asked, fear in her voice.

Jack and Cameron burst out of the trees, shouting for them to run. Crashing could be seen and heard behind them. Something big was following--something really big. A second later and they saw what it was.

"Uh, Sam, now would be a really good time to something!" Danny said urgently, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets at the sight as Mitchell and O'Neill neared them.

"I am going to do something! Wait until they get closer!" Sam said.

"What? Are you sure that'll work?" Carter asked.

"You're me; you I'm not, but what other choice do we have!"

"Good point."

"Closer? Why do they need to get closer what are you going to do?" Daniel yelped, pulling Sha're into his arms. Every instinct he had told him to run, but at the same time he trusted both Sam and her older counterpart.

Finally the two SG-1 commanders reached them. "What are you doing!" Jack cried. "Go!"

"Going sir!" Sam said, and before anyone could protest, both she and her older self had slammed their hands down on that _return/repair_ button…

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Again the flash of light momentarily blinded them, and when it died down they found themselves…back in Sam's lab.

"Yes!" Jack said, punching a fist in the air. "Thank you!"

Daniel smiled, hugged Sha're more tightly to him for a moment and then let her go. She was smiling as well, and turned and hugged Danny as well.

Mitchell sighed and dropped into a chair. "Well. That's that."


	32. Advice

This one took a bit longer...sorry, had church yesterday, and a friend came over...but anyway, here ya go. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter, and please review and tell me what you think! Thanks!

Chapter 32

"Wait a minute," Carter said, and her tone stopped the joyous exclamations. "We're not sure yet if this is where we were."

"You mean we might be somewhere _else_ now?" Mitchell said, frowning.

"But this is Carter's lab!" Jack said in annoyance.

"I know, sir," Sam said. "Just a minute."

Carter was already turning around in circles. "Now where is that clock…?"

"Over there," Sam provided, pointing to the desired device on the wall nearby. "Why? Did you move it?"

"I must have sometime between now and our time…or we really are somewhere _else…_"

The rest of the group paled at the thought, so Carter quickly searched her mind, and found the memory she was looking for.

"Oh wait! I do remember moving it. It's okay, false alarm…"

There was a collective sigh, and Danny moved closer to the clock. "Sam...this reads the same as it did when we, uh…left…"

"It does?" she asked, coming up behind him. "Huh. Another theory solved."

"What?" Daniel asked, as the others gathered around as well.

"What does that mean?" Sha're asked.

Carter smiled widely. "It means we're back where we started. It returned us to the moment we left."

"You mean, to everyone else on base, it's as if we never did leave?" Daniel clarified.

"Yep."

"Sweet!" O'Neill grinned.

"So that's it?" Mitchell asked. "Do you know how to get _us_ home now?"

Sam nodded. "I think so. They must have been able to program the device to always bring its users back to the starting point, even if they couldn't control where it took them very well. So…we should be able to get everyone back easily."

"Yes!" O'Neill said again. "Way to go Carters!"

And with that new round of cheers and hugs began, continuing until, quite by accident, both Sam and Danny found themselves hugging…themselves.

Immediately the four Jacksons and Carters hopped back in surprise, looking away from everyone else in embarrassment as the other looked at them.

Carter was the first to speak, clearing her throat first. "Okay that was-"

"-Weird." Sam finished.

Danny made a face. "I just-"

"-Hugged myself," Daniel said.

They looked at each other and shuddered.

Jack started laughing.

Then Mitchell joined in, and Sha're. The other four just stood for a moment, glaring at them, but finally they started to laugh too. Despite the tension and pressing circumstances, all of them lost themselves in the comic moment, glad that progress had been made, those out of place glad that they were one step closer to home, and those not out of place glad that their world was one step closer to normalcy.

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"So, you think we've solved our problem, major?" Hammond asked, from the head of the briefing room table.

Their little jaunt to the beginning of time had been reported, and then they had been given a couple of hours to eat and rest before gathering for the de-briefing.

"In general, yes sir," Sam said. "We know how make the devices take them all home--the one we have here and the other one. The problem will be getting Daniel back to the one he came through. As far as I can see that's the only way to get him home."

"Wonderful," Jack sighed.

"Colonel?" the general questioned.

"That means we have to get through Amaunet's jaffa, sir."

Danny winced, and Hammond nodded. "I know, Jack, but if it's the only way then you might not have a choice."

"General, I don't want anyone to be put in danger just to send me home…" Daniel began.

"You can't stay here forever, Daniel. It just doesn't work that way. You've already been here for almost a week. You could be in danger of Entropic Cascade Failure," Sam pointed out.

"Why would he be in danger of it?" Mitchell asked. "None of you experienced it when you got thrown back to 1969."

"That was different," Carter sighed. "Not only were the 'us' in that time much different--a lot younger--but we weren't in close proximity to ourselves, and we were only there for two or three days. He's been here longer than that." Her younger counterpart nodded, agreeing.

"So…we d_on't _have a choice?" Jack asked.

Sam shook her head. "Not really sir. We don't know how much longer he can safely stay here."

"What about them?" Hammond asked, nodding toward the alternate future SG-1. "Do we need to send them back right away, or…?"

"Not _right _away, sir. It took Dr. Carter over 48 to begin to feel the effects of ECF, so I think it's safe to assume they have that long as well."

"Forty-eight hours would be…sometime tomorrow afternoon, right?" Cameron asked.

"Right," carter confirmed. Then at the latest we should probably go back sometime tomorrow morning, to be safe."

Hammond nodded. "That sounds fine to me. There's no reason to rush if there's no immediate danger to you four. You have until 1030 hours tomorrow, then. And once we're sure they're home safely, Colonel O'Neill, you and your team will have to return to P5R-322."

O'Neill nodded. "Yes sir. I'll get working on an entrance plan ASAP."

"Just don't forfeit sleep, Jack," the general said firmly. "From what I've heard from all of you, it most likely won't be easy getting through there again."

The Teal'c of Danny's SG-1 nodded. "That is correct, General Hammond. You will need your sleep O'Neill."

"Yeahsureyoubetcha," Jack waved absently. Both Teal'cs raised an eyebrow.

"Jack, are you sure this is okay. I don't want anybody to get hurt because of me. Maybe if I went in by myself I could slip back there and get home before they could do anything…"

O'Neill raised a finger. "Ah! Don't, Daniel. We're not letting you go in there alone. We're going, and we're going to make sure you get back where you need to be. Discussion closed."

Daniel fell silent and smiled. Maybe things where he was from had changed over time, but Jack O'Neill would always be Jack O'Neill. And he would always be protective of any Daniel Jackson.

The older Jackson started to turn to Jack again and make some such smart remark, but that, whoever, was when the world suddenly got scrambled. Or, at least, that was what it felt like as pain he'd only felt once before rippled through his body, warning him that what both Samantha Carters were saying was true.

"Dan'iel!" Sha're yelped when he cried out, his body warping, the space just around it hazy. After only a couple of seconds, though, it stopped, and Daniel slumped back in his seat, gulping for air. Sha're took his hand in hers, concern written all over her face.

"What on earth was that?" General Hammond demanded.

"ECF," Danny gulped.

Sam nodded. "That was it, sir. Thank goodness it wasn't bad, though…"

"Do we need to leave _now_?" Jack asked, sitting up straighter, his face worried.

"No Jack," Daniel gulped. "You don't even have a plan yet."

"But if you're in danger…."

"I'm _fine_, Jack. I'll survive until tomorrow."

O'Neill looked to the Carters, who nodded. Sam had put a hand on his shoulder. "He's not in immediate danger of dying, sir. That's only if he stays here much longer…but one more day won't kill him, though it won't be entirely pleasant…" She made a face. "Sorry, Daniel."

He sat up. "No, it's okay, Sam. I'll be fine, really." He looked around at the faces of his friends, and of Sha're, who didn't seem completely convinced. "Really," he said again. He really did feel fine. The pain from the ECF had been intense when it had happened, but there didn't seem to be any side effects. He was fine now.

General Hammond's lips pressed into a fine line for a moment, and then he sighed. "Very well. If you're sure you'll be all right until tomorrow morning, Dr. Jackson, then I don't suppose we should change our plans, but…" The general trailed off and skewered the archaeologists with a look.

"I'll let you know if the tremors become too severe," Daniel nodded in agreement with the silent order.

"Good. You're all dismissed, then."

Sha're took hold of Daniel's arm and wrapped her own around it as they made their way from the conference room.

"Dan'iel, are you sure you're all right? That looked painful," she frowned.

"I'm not saying it wasn't," he sighed. "But you heard Sam. I'll be fine until tomorrow. Don't worry about it, okay?"

He saw the uncertainty in her eyes, and wished he knew how to convince her, but then his attention was snagged by the sight of his younger self passing them and continuing quickly down the corridor, wearing an expression Daniel knew all too well. Sighing, he politely took his arm back and looked at Sha're apologetically.

"Uhm, you go on with the others. I'm going to go…" he nodded in Danny's direction and she nodded, understanding. He smiled thankfully. "Thanks. I'll find the rest of you later," he said, and then broke of to follow his counterpart.

Jack, meanwhile, had been behind them with the rest of the younger SG-1, and caught Sam's arm when she started to go after Danny. The colonel nodded toward the older Jackson, who was already following him.

"Hold up, major. Maybe we should let them work it."

Sam saw what he was nodding at, and nodded. Her heart wanted to talk to her friend right then, but another part of her knew O'Neill was right. "Yes sir," she sighed.

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Daniel caught up with himself a moment later in a small, deserted side corridor.

"What do you want?" Danny asked in annoyance as his older self drew up beside him and matched his stride-perfectly.

Daniel put his hands up. "Hey, don't get mad at me. I'm you, remember?"

Danny slowed and finally stopped, turning to his counterpart. "I'm sorry. This is just…hard, you know?" he said quietly, motioning back toward the way they had come. The older Jackson knew the motion was meant to be indicating Sha're, and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I know…sorry about that. You know there's not one of us at all where she's from, so I would feel guilty if I didn't let her, well…" he shrugged. That was half of the truth, anyway. He did feel guilty about not being able to tell his younger self the other half of it…but he couldn't risk changing the timeline any more.

Danny gave him a weak, wry smile. "Yeah, I guess that's true…I would too, but I guess, since she's from your _time_, at least, that she would feel closer to you."

Daniel shrugged again, and Danny sighed. "You're not going to tell me what happened, are you?"

Daniel blinked at the sudden change of subject. Of course, he knew what Danny was talking about, but played innocent, struggling to keep the emotion off his face and still hating the deceit. "What?"

"To Sha're. You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"You know I can't-"

"Why not? If I had the chance you have right now, I'd tell me."

Daniel looked him in the eyes. "I'm not you anymore, and you know that. You _know_ I'm different."

"But why?" Danny gulped. "I don't…I don't understand. _Why_ can't you tell me?"

"You know why. You've heard Sam say it more than once-"

"That's not what I mean, and _you_ know it!"

That brought Daniel up short. He swallowed back a retort. Yes, he knew it, but he wasn't budging. If he gave any other answer to the question of why, he might give something away.

"Don't push it, please," he said quietly.

Danny looked at him intently for another moment or so, before finally backing off. His eyes closed and he visibly slumped. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. "Apparently this snapping thing is happening a lot lately…"

Now it was Daniel's turn to give a wry smile. "Been there, done that. I know you're just worried about her. You want her back. They all know it, and they're here for you. Just don't forget that."

Finally Danny put a small smile on his face. "I feel really strange telling myself this, but…thanks."

Daniel pulled a sarcastic face. "You're right, that is weird. Why don't we settle with 'we're both good', and move on."

"I'm game," Danny said, both starting back the way they'd come.

"Good," Daniel said, putting as much enthusiasm as he could into his voice, and thankfully not all of it was forced. "One more thing though…"

"What?" Danny asked as they turned back into the main corridor.

"Well, just try not to get frustrated with Jack if he doesn't always believe you about everything…especially those ideas that seem a little out there…" Daniel trailed, thinking back to when Jack hadn't believed him about the message Sha're had sent him through the hand device.

"Yeah, figured that one out when he didn't believe me about the Quantum Mirror at first…"

"Well yeah, but still…" It had still been frustrating for Jack not to believe him again, especially as important as the information was, and then he'd even been skeptical about the Ori thing for the first couple of days. "Just keep being patient with him. He'll always come around eventually. And remember that he's still your friend even if he doesn't agree with you about everything."

Daniel winced involuntarily, thinking back to when Jack had gone undercover to expose a rogue NID element and hadn't been able to tell them, and then the disastrous mission to Uronda. Both had nearly destroyed their friendship, and if it hadn't been as strong as it was, it might not have survived. Then, of course, there was Kelowna. Maybe the anger wasn't directed at him specifically, but he'd always known that Jack had been furious that Daniel had sacrificed himself for a planet of people who hadn't even cared…had even tried to incriminate him. _My government will admit Daniel is guilty OVER MY DEAD BODY_, he'd said. He'd told Daniel that later, after he'd descended. At the time, he'd though it was funny, though of course he realized it was proof of how much the older man really cared.

Danny's smile widen, perhaps thinking humorous thoughts. "Thanks. I'll remember that," he said, shaking Daniel from his own thoughts.

"You're welcome."


	33. Comfort

Okay, yeah, this chapter is a bit short...one of those interlude like things, issues that must be taken care of. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and hope you will love reading. I REALLY want to know what you all think of this chapter, so please review! Thanks!

Chapter 33

Daniel stopped when his younger self turned an unexpected corner and headed off in a direction other than where he'd thought they were going.

"What? Where are you going?" he asked.

Danny stopped and turned back to him, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. "Infirmary." He gave an embarrassed smile. "Janet made me promise to stop by again later so she could check up on me. Now's as good a time as any."

With that the younger Jackson continued on his way, and the older one followed him.

"I guess I'd better come with you. No doubt she's heard about the ECF tremor and wants to take a look at me. I should probably go to the infirmary before she sends someone looking for me."

"But she can't do anything about that-something about it's temporal, not corporeal…" Danny frowned.

Daniel shrugged. "I know. But you know Janet." Not to mention that he would take any excuse he could get to be around the pretty red-haired doctor that he missed so much. He almost hadn't realized how much he had missed her until he'd seen her again here. The only downside was it couldn't last-he would have to leave eventually. And, of course, the fact that he could do nothing about the fact that Janet would be killed four years from now…

Danny smiled again. "True."

The infirmary was relatively quiet, the only activity being a couple of minor injuries from other teams being treated by nurses on the outer edges of the main room. Doctor Janet Fraiser herself had seemed to be heading for the exit until the two Jacksons came through it. She drew up just in front of them and stopped. Her attention went first to Daniel.

"Oh good; there you are. I was just about to come looking for you myself, Daniel. Are you all right?"

Daniel started to open his mouth, but when he realized it was already hanging open and nothing was coming out he shut it again and swallowed hard around the lump that was forming again. _Now is not the time to do this! Get a grip Daniel!_

"Uh…yeah. I'm fine, Janet. It wasn't bad…I mean, you can't really do anything for it anyway…"

"I know," she nodded. "But I want to look you over, just be sure." Then her gaze shifted to Danny. "And you too. I see you kept your promise," she smiled sweetly at him.

Daniel watched his younger self in amusement as the younger Jackson blushed profusely. "Uh, well, yeah, I mean…don't I always?" He'd still been married at this point, so his feelings hadn't yet gone beyond affectionate friendship, not that they had ever gotten too much farther, but for cryin' out loud, had his subtle feelings for Janet always been so obvious? Fraiser, however, thankfully didn't seem to notice. Okay, so maybe he was only noticing because it was his own face he was looking at-well, sort of.

"When it comes to anything medical--no," the doctor informed him unflinchingly. She waved them over to a couple of the beds. "Over there, boys. Sit. I'll be right back."

The two obeyed her orders and each took a bad, sitting on the edges facing each other and waiting for her to return. A moment later, true to her word, Fraiser reappeared, finishing pulling rubber gloves over hands with a clipboard under her arm.

Danny blinked as she neared them. "Uh, who's that for?"

"You," she said, stepping up to the other side of the bed he sat on. "Now lay down so I can check those wounds."

Danny sighed and pulled his legs up onto the bed. Normally he would have swung them, but understandably didn't feel like doing so at the moment. Janet waited while he lay back against the pillows and gained a comfortable position, and then she pushed the open green shirt out of the way, and pulled his t-shirt up halfway.

"Ow!" Danny yelped purposely. Daniel smirked, knowing was he was doing, then suddenly looked at the floor, partly turned away, as the words that ensued brought back memories.

Fraiser crossed her arms over her chest. "Danny, I haven't even touched you yet."

"I'm practicing."

The doctor rolled her eyes, a rare occurrence for her. "I'm not going to hurt you, now be still," she ordered, and then gently began to pass her hands over the area of his stomach where the stab wounds had been, and where some small amount of scar tissue still remained under the surface. Danny did wince once or twice while Fraiser conducted her examination, but over all the symptoms he'd been having had reduced since the nightmares of the night before.

All the while Janet was talking to him, assuring him he would be fine, telling the latest bit of gossip from the ranks of the nurses, laughing with him, doing her best to boost his spirits as she knew that his mental state had been rather dark since returning from P5R-322. And over all making it obvious she was happy he was alive.

And Daniel sat where he was, knowing he was welcome in the conversation if he chose to take part, but suddenly being too lost in thought to form many coherent words. He watched them wistfully, knowing that had been him once, remembering Janet…and suddenly it came to a point where he could no longer gulp down the lump in his throat.

Daniel turned away then, staring at the floor again. But before he could stop it, several tears slipped from one of his eyes and down his cheek. But he didn't dare reach up to dry his face, or he would draw attention to himself. Seconds later more fell, and he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to stop them, drawing in a breath that shuddered much more than he'd wanted it too. Oh perfect. He hadn't meant to do this all. Not to mention in front of an audience…

On the bed across from him he heard Danny sit up, and for some reason he knew that both he and the doctor were looking at him, but he couldn't stop another tear from falling. Oh crap; that was the side of his face they could see, wasn't it?

"Daniel?" Janet asked in concern.

When he didn't answer he heard heels clicking on the hard military base floor, and a moment later felt a soft hand on his shoulder. "Daniel, are you all right?"

Daniel gulped and finally opened his eyes again and looked at Janet's concerned face, but still couldn't answer. What could he say? He couldn't tell her the truth. 'You're going to die.' Oh yeah, that'd go over well.

Danny looked back and forth between Fraiser and his older self, and instinctively knew that he should leave them alone. "Uh…I'm just gonna go fine the other guys…later Janet…" he said quietly, heading for the door. Fraiser nodded over her shoulder at him that he was all right and he could leave, then sat down next to Daniel. When Danny was gone they were left effectively alone; the only other couple of patients were far on the other end of the infirmary.

"You want to tell me what's wrong?" Fraiser asked gently, rubbing his arm comfortingly.

Daniel pulled in a breath. "I can't," he whispered. He felt more tears slip from both eyes and wiped at them with his sleeve in frustration.

"What do you mean?" she prodded quietly.

Jackson looked away again, gulping air to keep the rest of the tears back, but it was useless. He missed her so much; if only she knew…He missed Sha're more than anything, and always would, but Janet's death was so much fresher a wound. He shook his head, not trusting his voice anymore.

Not knowing what else to do, Fraiser pulled him into a comforting embrace, and when his face hit her shoulder Daniel's tears broke from him and he cried. Not loudly, not sobbing, but just crying-crying for the lost friend he knew he would never see again after he left this time. When was the last time he had just cried? Had he ever just cried about the loss of the SGC's doctor? His friend? For the grief and guilt he had about what had happened? Had he ever really? Daniel couldn't remember, but now he did.

And Janet held him and let him cry, not knowing why he was, just knowing that he was a person who needed a friend at the moment. She probably thought it had something to do with Sha're, or everything that had happened over the past few days, or stress or exhaustion, or post traumatic stress symptoms, and maybe it was partly a combination of those.

But she could never guess the core reason, and Daniel couldn't tell her--and that only made it hurt even more. She could never guess what happened to be tearing his heart out at this particular moment in his life, as something almost invariably was. Janet was simply there for him as she had always been before she'd been shot by that jaffa, as he needed her to be right now, as a friend.

When the tears wouldn't come anymore Daniel let go of Janet and pulled back, staring at the floor again. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, his voice barely audible.

"For what?" Fraiser asked kindly, her hand still on his arm.

_For not being able to save you, either._ But he only gave the other answer. "I didn't mean to do that to you. I mean, I-"

Janet sighed and pulled Daniel into another gentle embrace. "Daniel, it's all right. I know there's a lot going on right now. I'm sure you have a lot on your mind. Don't worry about it."

Daniel sighed and returned the hug this time, and held on for several long moments before letting go again and smiling weakly at her.

"Thank you," he said with all sincerity. Because suddenly, for some reason, he felt forgiven, and as if, maybe, he could forgive himself for what had happened to Janet. Because even as he looked in her eyes and wished he could tell her, save her, or at least so he could know for sure she didn't blame him, at the same time he somehow knew he didn't need to tell her. Janet was giving him his answer now; she was his friend, she cared for him, and she never would have blamed him for a death he couldn't have foreseen, couldn't have prevented.

And that was all Daniel really needed to know.


	34. Flashback

All right, a nice long chapter for the first time in a few weeks. It's the wekend, and I'm in a very productive writing mood. Yay! Foronce, LOL. So anyway, I really like this chapter and really want to know what you think. And while as long as I get reviews I don't mind if they're one-liners, I'd love if someone would give me some constructive feedback--ya know, things I did well or didn't, as long as you're nice. :) Any kind of such feedback will help me to be a better writer, and that's what I'm striving for. So have a good day, and enjoy and review this new chapter! Thanks!

Chapter 34

Why, Daniel wondered, could he have this feeling, this feeling almost of peace, when no matter how hard he tried or how many times Sha're had told him that none of what had happened to her was his fault, or how many times this future Sha're told him the same thing, he could never feel anything but guilt about his wife's death?

Somehow he knew Janet forgave him, didn't even think there was anything to forgive, even though she didn't know what was going to happen, and he knew Sha're had felt the same way. When it came to Sha're…there were so many way he could have done it differently, could have saved her. He'd long ago stopped running those scenarios in his head-what could have been-because he had learned it did no good but to make him feel worse, but the feeling was still there. What had happened to Janet, though…it had happened so quickly. He knew there was nothing he could have done. Maybe that was why.

A small smile still touching his face, Daniel obediently submitted when the doctor stood again, giving his arm one final pat before beginning her examination of him. As both of them had known, nothing made itself known in her tests. Nothing appeared physically wrong with him, there were no visible physical side effects of the ECF tremor, and there was nothing she could do about it...or the ones to come.

Daniel grimaced involuntarily at the thought. Maybe the tremors didn't leave any real effects behind except shortened time that he could remain in this time safely, but they sure hurt like heck when they were happening. He hadn't noticed much back on P5R-322, because he was dying anyway and too busy helping his other self try to convince Jack to get the heck outta dodge, but that didn't mean he didn't mind them. On the contrary, he'd rather not repeat the experience, but Daniel would take the momentary lapses of pain if it meant a few more hours near Sha're and Janet before returning to his future without them.

But did it have to be without Sha're…? As quickly as the thought entered his mind he pushed it away as foolish. No matter how one looked at it, there was no way for them to be together. They needed each other, but it wasn't possible. Their respective realities needed them where they were, and it would be selfish to think of changing that just for their own personal desires, but…

Daniel shook his head, and slid off the edge of the bed back to the floor; Janet was finished and had given him leave to go.

Fraiser sighed as he came out from the walk space in between beds. "Are you sure you'll be all right?"

Jackson gave her another smile. "Don't worry about me, Janet. I'll be-"

But Daniel's words cut off in a sharp intake of air, and his hands shot out to catch the end of the bed before he toppled over.

"Daniel-?" Janet asked worriedly, taking a step closer to him. She stopped short and stared in horror as his body flickered for several seconds, Entropic cascade failure taking brief hold of him again. She'd seen it happen to him before, and to Doctor Carter when their previous alternate reality visitors had been here several week before, but somehow this was more frightening. At least this time the tremor wasn't threatening to wipe him from existence in the immediate future.

The tremor stopped and Daniel slumped slightly, leaning against the bed with his hands. Her hand went to his shoulder. "Daniel?" she asked again.

The archaeologist looked up at her, blinking away the fading pain. "-fine," he breathed in reply, answering her and finishing his previous sentence at the same time.

The doctor nodded slowly and backed away from him again, letting her hand drop from his arm. She swallowed and looked at him as he straightened. "I-" _wish there was something I could do._ But Daniel stopped her with another of his small smiles before she could continue.

"It's okay," he assured her. "It's just until tomorrow. I really will be fine, Janet." When she finally seemed to accept the word, Daniel nodded and moved past her toward the door. Halfway there he turned to look toward her again, and saw Fraiser watching him go. He raised a hand in farewell, and saw her raise one in return before turning again and pushing out into the corridor.

Daniel felt fresh tears stinging his eyes and blinked them back relentlessly. He shouldn't be doing this--feeling like this, like he wanted to stay. He needed to get back to his own time, his friends there, the old and the new. He was needed in the fight against the Ori, and he'd miss the new faces at the SGC if he never went back: Cameron Mitchell, Carolyn Lam, General Landry…and he had to admit that a part of him desperately needed to know if Vala MalDoran was indeed alive and well somewhere out there, and would be relieved if she was. But with so many people here that were either no longer alive or no longer around much in his time…Janet, Sha're, General Hammond, Jack….another part of him still wondered how he could leave.

* * *

Daniel found the rest of the SG-1 teams lounging in one of the VIP suites--one of the big ones with the tables and desks, armchairs and couches, like they had been forced to stay in in times like when Urgo had been in their heads, or they'd had those alien arm bands on….Daniel smiled to him self; the SG-1 of this time still had those events ahead of them.

The large group hadn't known what else to do, and was spread around the room, talking and laughing, trying to forget that the next day they would be separated, never to se each other again--or at least, not in the capacity they saw each other now.

All looked up when the door indicated to Daniel by a passing airman as Jackson looked for his friends opened, and Daniel entered.

"There ya are! Even the other you beat you here," Jack said from where he sat sprawled on a couch, indicating Danny in a nearby armchair. "What took you so long?"

Danny shifted uncomfortably, and Daniel closed the door behind him and moved into the room, crossing his arms over his chest. "Uh…nothing, Jack. Never mind."

O'Neill looked at him for another few seconds, but then shrugged and went back to tossing the baseball he had in his hands in the air and catching it again. Daniel smiled nonchalantly and sat down next to Sha're, who was at the nearest table.

"Where's Sam?" he asked, looking around and not seeing either Samantha Carter.

"The Carters are off in their lab geeking themselves out," Mitchell supplied from where he sat draped over the arms of another of the arm chairs.

"What about Teal'c?"

"I believe they are eating," Sha're smiled.

"The commissary's still open at this time of the afternoon?" Danny questioned.

"For them it is!" Jack smirked.

"Okay…what are we doing?" Daniel asked.

"I have no idea. I found them like this when I got here," Danny informed him.

Jack sat up. "Well, really, Daniel--what's an odd group like this supposed to _do_?"

Daniel blinked and smiled. "Good point. I have no idea."

Mitchell swung his legs down to the floor. "Hey, we could play a game of basketball, or something."

"Cameron, you stink at basketball," Daniel stated matter-of-factly.

Mitchell winced. "Oh…you guys did that too?"

"Oh yeah. I was on your team. Teal'c and Vala thoroughly kicked our buts."

Sha're laughed. "Ours too."

"Vala?" Danny asked.

Daniel smiled conspiratorially at Mitchell and Sha're. "Wait a few years. You'll find out."

Jack stood up. "You know, the way you said that I don't know if we _want_ too."

Daniel only shrugged, for some reason now unable to wipe the smile from his face; the conflicting emotions of minutes before in the infirmary forgotten in the comedy of the moment.

When the archaeologist didn't say anything else, Jack clapped his hands. "Okay, then. I'm up for the game of hoops. I'm getting bored."

"Thank you," Mitchell said as he stood as well, obviously glad someone here was listening to him.

As the others stood up, Jack went into momentary colonel mode. "All right--Jacksons, grab the Carters, and Mitchell and I'll get the Teal'cs. We meet back in gym in…" He trailed off and glanced at his watch. "Fifteen minutes."

"Wait a minute," Daniel interrupted as the five of them headed for the door. "We have nine people-that's uneven teams."

Mitchell shrugged. "So the team with five gets two girls."

"Hey-!" Sha're protested.

"Or we could ask Walter or Siler to play," Jack suggested quickly, before the playful sibling rivalry between the two older SG-1 members could escalate any further.

"Yeah," Danny nodded

"That sounds like a good idea," Daniel agreed at the same time, both earning a thankful smile from Sha're.

Mitchell shrugged. "Okay. Whatever." He smiled. "I was just kidding."

"I know," she said in forgiveness.

"Good," Cameron nodded, and then opened the door for the rest of them.

* * *

"That was fun! But now I'm famished," Jack O' Neill complained as the group made their way through the dinner crowd in the commissary.

"You're just a sore loser, colonel," Mitchell taunted.

Danny smiled to himself from his place a bit farther down the line, next to Sha're and his older self. Yeah, that probably covered it.

"Hey, my team didn't lose _every_ time. I fact, we of this time _won_ most of our games, thank you very much," Jack retorted.

"But we beat you in the last game," Carter piped up, grinning. "Didn't want to end on a bad note, sir?"

"Hey, you can't say anything, Carter. When you, yourself, and the Jacksons played the rest of us you got thrashed."

The first game had been that way, with Carter, Sam, Danny, Daniel, and Sha're playing jack, Cameron, the Teal'cs, and Walter. Siler had been too busy fixing something with hug wrench of his. After that first disastrous game, however, it had been decided no more two of each on one team, and the teams had split by time period.

"That's only because I'm not very good at it, sir," Sam said.

Daniel wrapped an arm around Sha're's shoulders for a moment. "Oh yeah, if Sam and I could play as good as Sha're here, we would have kicked your butts."

"I second that," Danny agreed. "But I don't think _we_ were that bad…were we?" he asked, looking to his older self.

Daniel let go of Sha're and shrugged. "We're okay, I guess. At least we're not as bad as Mitchell."

This brought a squawk of protest from the future colonel, but Cameron quickly swallowed it and shrugged back. "Yeah, well, we of the future still have Sha're and Teal'c. Winning one game's better that not winning any at all."

"Hey, where'd Walter disappear to?" Jack asked suddenly.

"I think he said he wasn't hungry and was going back to the control room," Danny answered.

"Ah. Well, I know _I'm_ hungry."

"Yes, Jack, you've told us that already."

"Hey, it's roast beef!" Mitchell exclaimed, when they finally got to the food and could see what it was. "I keep asking for this back in our time, but we haven't had it yet." He looked to Carter in confusion. "Why do they have it here?"

Carter shrugged as she took her tray. "I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with the budget cuts. We lost a little of the diversity in the menu after that."

"They didn't take away the blue jell-o did they?" Jack asked with what sounded like genuine concern, as he picked himself up a bowl of the mentioned treat.

Carter smiled. "No sir."

Danny smiled when his Teal'c nodded in satisfaction. "That is good."

"Indeed," the older Teal'c agreed, smiling slightly.

A few moments later they had all taken their seats, after pushing two tables together so they wouldn't have to separate and annoying the commissary workers.

Still distracted in their conversation, it took them several minutes until they realized that they had been talking and not eating the food in front of them. It might have taken them longer if they hadn't been as hungry as they were from their hard play. It was hard to do anything but talk to each other, spend time together-especially for those that were for the first time with friends they hadn't seen in years. It was strange how quickly the odd group had bonded.

As everyone finally started to eat, Danny looked down at his tray. When he saw the knife that sat on one edge of it that was intended to cut the meat, a sudden uneasiness took hold of him--almost becoming irrational fear. Lunch hadn't included anything that had required the use of such utensils, so he hadn't seen anything more menacing than a salad fork since…

No. He couldn't go there, Danny thought, immediately shutting down on the thoughts of the previous day. Forget about it. Pick the stupid thing up and eat.

He needed to eat. The basketball games had ground to an abrupt halt more than once--twice when the ECF had hit his older self again, and once when he himself had collapsed, doubled over in pain because he had apparently succeeded in doing just what Janet had told him not to do. He wasn't completely healed and he'd over-exerted himself, lost in the fun he and his friends were having despite the horrors of the past several days and the precarious situation they were still in.

That had been when they'd had to stop, and had taken a break to freshen up before meeting again to eat. No one had minded though, thank goodness. They'd played long enough.

Still, suddenly Danny had lost his appetite. That was when he realized Jack was looking at him.

"What?"

"You okay Danny?"

"Yeah," he said quickly, though maybe too quickly because his friend was still looking at him with concern. "I'm fine Jack."

"Well, you did take that little spill…"

"Jack-"

At the tone of Jackson's voice, O'Neill raised his hands in surrender, even though one held a fork laden with roast beef. "Okay, chill out, Danny-boy."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're the one who wants to know if _I'm_ okay…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind."

Jack shrugged and went back to his food. Danny glanced down at his own and picked up his roll, nibbling on the soft bread to keep the others from thinking he wasn't eating. He really didn't feel like it now, and he stared down at his plate so as not to make eye contact with them, but carefully avoided letting his gaze wonder to the edge of his tray.

Finally, though, it was obvious they were noticing his withdrawal, and Danny had to look up. That was when he caught sight of Sha're, just across the table from him. She was picking up her knife to cut her meat, and the sight made something twist in his stomach.

_Held by the jaffa, unable to move--Amaunet standing over him, smirking, drawing back to stab him again. The pain in his torso where she had already done it once was unbearable._

Danny blinked and looked away, sucking in a breath, but the image stayed with him.

"Dan'iel?" Sha're asked, concern in her voice.

He couldn't ignore her. He had to look at her again, but when he did all he saw was Amaunet's face and the knife in her hand. His face paled.

"Danny?" Sam said from beside him. Sam, beside him. They were both trapped, an alien world, a Goa'uld facility.

"Dan'iel, are you all right?" Sha're questioned again, now getting worried. The look of horror on his face was making her uneasy, and now the rest of the table was looking toward the young scientist as well.

But Danny didn't hear Sha're's voice anymore. All he could see was Amaunet, ready to strike at him, hurt him. The Goa'uld wanted to kill him. Her hand reached out to him and he jerked back, the jaffa gone, and fell out of his chair. _Chair? Since when had Goa'uld hold cells had chairs?_

Sha're pulled her hand back, quickly set her utensils down and stood when Daniel pulled away and toppled to the floor. "Dan'iel! What is wrong?" she cried in alarm, coming around the table toward him as the other stood too, worry written on their faces. The rest of those in the commissary were beginning to look up, noticing the scene.

Danny pushed back along the floor as Amaunet followed him, the knife still in her hand, still intent on killing him. She said something to him as she drew closer.

"No! Get away from me! Don't hurt me!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet.

Sha're stopped in her tracks, stung at his words. Now she knew what was happening.

Jack seemed to come to the same conclusion. "Danny, she's got going to hurt you; it's _Sha're_ Danny. Calm down."

Danny gulped as the scene around him wavered. He heard Jack's voice saying he wasn't going to be hurt, to calm down. Jack wasn't supposed to be here…maybe he wasn't really here at all...

"J-Jack?" he stammered, as his friend's image slowly came to him, standing beside him.

"Yeah, Danny-boy. It's me. It's okay. It was just a flashback," O'Neill reassured him, and he felt a hand on his arm.

The contact breaking the spell, Danny found himself in the commissary again. All of his friend, present and future, were standing and looking at him with concern. Everyone else in the room was simply looking at him in confusion. When they saw it was over the crowd slowly started to turn back to their food, forgetting the odd group standing around the two tables at the side of the large room.

Danny's eyes widened. "Oh…oh no. I-I'm sorry," he fumbled, tears stinging his eyes when he realized what a scene he'd just made. "Sha're, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he gulped, when he saw the hurt tears in her eyes. Sha're knew he hadn't been able to help it, but she couldn't stop the pang in her chest at Danny's words and actions, nor keep the tears at bay that rose in her eyes.

Jack started to put an arm around his friend's shoulders and guide him back to his seat, but Danny pulled away.

"No. I should…I should go…" he said, still blinking back tears. If he was going to have a further emotional breakdown, he wasn't going to do it here.

So before anyone had a chance to stop him, Danny bolted from the commissary.


	35. Fast Food

Ooops! Was busy with school, but I'm not going to that blasted math and science school anymore starting tommorrow, so chapters will come faster! beside, coming to the end now so my brain's running rampant wanting to finish it. Yay! So anyway, thank you all for your patiente, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please review so I know you _want_ me to finish the story! Let me know what you like! Thanks!

Chapter 35

Sha're broke into quiet tears as the commissary doors swung shut behind Danny, and Daniel pulled her into his arms.

"Sir?" Sam asked, her eyes on the still swinging doors.

Jack sighed heavily. "I'll go after him. Don't wait for us."

"Yes sir," she nodded quietly. She wanted to comfort her friend herself, but she knew that, right now, Danny probably needed Jack more.

O'Neill emerged into the corridor and looked around, but there was no sign of Jackson. Not knowing where else to look, he headed toward his friend's office.

The office was dark, with the only light being that which spilled in from the brightly lit corridor, though that was plenty for him to tell that Danny wasn't in immediate sight. Then Jack heard something shift off to his right, and there was the archaeologist, huddled against the wall just inside the door, his legs pulled up with his arms wrapped around them and his face buried in his knees. His glasses were on the ground beside him, and O'Neill had to sidestep to avoid them.

Silently Jack moved into the office and sat down on the floor in front of him.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Go away, Jack," Danny sighed miserably, without looking up.

O'Neill crossed his arms. "Aww come, Danny. You don't really want to be left in here all alone, do you?"

That brought a pause from the younger man. Finally he whispered a quiet, "No."

"I made an idiot out of myself, Jack," he moaned a moment later, his arms tightening around his legs.

"It was a flashback, Daniel, a panic attack. Nobody blames you for that. You couldn't help it."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I had everyone in the commissary looking at us--at me. I hurt Sha're, Jack. I could see she was upset…"

"We were all upset, Danny. We're just worried about you."

Danny gulped and lifted his head at last, wiping at it with his sleeve, though Jack saw the tear stains on his face before he could erase the evidence of his crying. He glanced briefly up at O'Neill, but then looked away.

"Danny…I've done the whole torture thing before, remember?" Jack continued slowly, and a bit hesitantly. "I know what those are like…"

Jackson looked at him again, and held his gaze this time. After another moment he sighed. "What do I do?" he asked quietly.

"Come with me," Jack said simply, standing. "You did drive today, so I'll take you home if you want, or you can hang at my place tonight."

"Okay," he agreed weakly, and took the hand O'Neill offered to help him up.

"Okay to what? You want to go home or crash in my guest room?

Daniel gave a wry smile. "I don't care. I just need to get out of here."

"My place it is, then," Jack smiled in return, patting his friend's back and steering him out the door.

* * *

Jack had stopped by the commissary to let the others know where they were going while Danny waited out in the corridor, and then they had headed for the surface and were on their way.

Instead of Jack's house, however, O'Neill pulled into a parking lot in the middle of Colorado Springs.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Danny asked, looking cluelessly out the window at the McDonalds sign that was lighted in the relative darkness of late evening.

"Food, Danny-boy. You didn't eat any of yours. You haven't had anything since lunch."

"Oh, so now you're taking 'Care and Keeping of an Archaeologist' classes, are you?"

Jack's eyes rolled. "Come on, Danny. It's food, there isn't anybody else you know here, and most important of all--no utensils."

Jackson's amused grin faded to a soft, thankful smile. "Oh…good idea," he admitted.

"Let's go; I'm hungry too. I'll buy."

"Fine," Danny shrugged, pushing open the passenger side door of Jack's truck and stepping out onto the pavement.

When was the last time he'd had fast food? He didn't even have time for that these days. He lived off power bars, chocolate, and coffee in his office, supplemented by whatever he could get in the commissary and what simple foods he could drop by the store and pick up on the way home…when he went home. His apartment looked more like a museum than a home with all the artifacts scattered all over the shelves and walls.

"Coming?" Jack asked, his hand dropping onto Danny's shoulder.

The archaeologist jumped, wincing; he had seen his friend come up.

O'Neill's eyebrows went up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. You just startled me," he sighed.

"Not hurting? You were making me worry about you again in the gym earlier."

Danny smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. No, I feel okay--a lot better than I did this morning, earlier, anyway."

"Good," the colonel smiled, patting Jackson's shoulder as they started toward the restaurant. "So you won't be doing any collapsing in public. That could get hard to explain without giving away classified information."

Jackson's eyes rolled. "Whatever, Jack."

* * *

"Danny?"

Jackson looked up at O'Neill's voice. One of his elbows was on the table in front of him, one cheek resting in that hand, and with his other hand he'd been lazily finishing his French fries.

"What?"

"What's up?"

"'Up', Jack?"

"I know that look, Danny; whatcha thinkin' about?" O'Neill asked, then took a swig from his soft drink.

Danny sighed and shoved another ketchup-dipper fry in his mouth. Once he'd chewed and swallowed it he shrugged and answered.

"Just…wondering about tomorrow."

"What about tomorrow?

Jackson hesitated. "They're going to leave," he said finally, and then added softly, "She's going to leave.

"Ah…" Jack nodded. "This bothers you?

"Well…sort of; and then we have to go back to P5R-322."

"There's that."

The two men fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence, until Danny spoke up again. "What are we going to do about Sha're, Jack--my Sha're?"

Jack's mouth opened to say something, but he closed it again and breathed out, taking another moment before answering.

"We'll do what we can, Daniel," the colonel said quietly. "I know you want her back, but this time that's not what it's about. If an opportunity presents itself, we'll do everything we can to get her out of there, but I can't promise anything. If it's bring her or risk all of us being killed, you know what my decision will have to be. You're the one who made me leave you behind for that reason--twice." Jack resisted the urge to wince at either memory, of leaving Daniel on Apophis's ship to die two years before, or of leaving him behind on P5R-322.

Danny looked away. "I know," he said, and then went back to finishing off his French fries. He hadn't really needed to ask. He had known that would be O'Neill's answer, but somehow it made it a little easier to get it out in the open, even though they had to keep their voices down in the public spot. Not that there was a crown, but when it came to secrets such as the Stargate program, one couldn't be too careful.

After another few moments of silence, O'Neill slapped one hand lightly on the table and stood. "Well, I'm in the mood for ice cream. You in?" he asked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder toward the counter at the front of the restaurant.

A smile returned to Danny's face and he shrugged. "As long as there's chocolate involved."

"You got it, buddy," Jack smiled, and then bustled off toward the cashiers.

* * *

The first thing Jack did once inside the house was turn on the television and flop down onto the couch, remote in hand.

"Jack, what are you doing?"

O'Neill looked up as he pulled his shoes off. "It's TV, Daniel--you know, sports, news, cheesy movies, science fiction shows that never get it right…" he gestured vaguely. Jackson snickered. "Don't just stand there; sit down. Maybe there's some hockey on."

"I think I'll pass. I'm kinda tired," Danny admitted.

Jack shrugged. "Okay. You know where the gust room is."

"Right," Danny nodded, starting to turn.

"Sure you don't wanna watch some TV before bed? It's only eight o'clock."

"Exactly, and I'm exhausted. Really, Jack, after the night I had last night and everything today…" He trailed off and O'Neill nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. Okay. Good night," he said, genuinely, though he still seemed a bit disappointed that his friend didn't feel like hanging with him a bit longer. He'd been hoping to cheer Jackson up some more. Oh well. That could be done tomorrow, he supposed. It would be needed a lot more tomorrow, though there was the possibility it wouldn't be needed at all, if fate was especially kind…but unfortunately that wasn't often the case for SG-1.

"Good night," Danny said in return, and started down the hallway. But before he could get out of sight he stopped and turned back to toward the living room again. "Oh, and Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Then Jackson was gone, at the back of the house before O'Neill could turn to look at him again, and jack smiled to himself. _No, Danny, thank _you_--for coming back to us again.

* * *

_

Daniel knocked quietly on Sha're's door. After they had eaten, she had retreated from the group into her room, and hadn't come out since. They had all been growing a bit worried about her, and hr had volunteered to check on her. As if he wouldn't have.

When a sound of acknowledgement came to him through the door, he slowly turned the handle and pushed it open. Sha're was sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to him. Quietly he walked to the foot of the bed, only a couple of feet from her.

"Hey," he announced himself. "I…came to see how you were doing. I know you got pretty shaken up at dinner, and I'm sorry."

She shook her head, but she still didn't look up at him. Her eyes were focused on her clenched hands in her lap. "It is not your fault, Dan'iel, and not his either. It's mine…" her breath caught in her throat, and she twisted her face even farther away from his line of sight.

Daniel's head started to shake automatically, and he took a step around the foot corner of the bed sank down onto it beside her. "No…no no no, Sha're, it's not your fault"

She wrapped her arms around herself. "But he was afraid of me because of what I did…" she shuddered.

"-What Amaunet did," he corrected her. "You had no control over that. It wasn't your fault." He smiled gently. "We've been through this."

Sha're sighed and nodded, and then leaned into him. Daniel hugged her and pulled her in, holding on.

"So I guess tomorrow's it," he said sadly, and Sha're nodded against his chest.

"We won't see each other again, will we?" she whispered.

"Probably not," he agreed. Tears sprung to his eyes at the thought, but he blinked them back.

"Dan'iel, I have been thinking…" she trailed off, and his arms tightened around her.

"I know," Daniel said. "I have too. And not that I don't wish we could stay together, but…that can't work--either way. Our futures need us where we are. It just wouldn't be right."

She pushed away and looked at him. "But what about right for us?"

"Sha're…" he started, silently pleading with her not to make thing difficult.

Even after years apart she still knew that look in his eyes and sighed heavily, looking away. "I know, I know," she relented. "But I only wish…"

"Me too."

A few depressing moments of silence followed, until finally Daniel leaned and kissed her cheek. "I should be going," he said, standing. He started toward the door. "It's getting late, and-"

"Dan'iel, wait-"

He stopped when Sha're caught his hand, in a fashion reminiscent of the night before. He turned to her again.

"Dan'iel, please, just stay a little longer," she pleaded. _Or a lot longer. Hold me, just stay with me, tell me everything will be all right. _"Please."

Daniel swallowed, standing beside her with his hand in hers, saw the expression in her eyes, and couldn't say no. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to be near her for as long as he could before they parted again…for good.

So Daniel sat back down, folded his arms around Sha're again, and kissed his wife.


	36. Sooner

Okay, new chapter finally. yes, it's short, but it had to be. The next chapter will be longer, and the one after that...anyway, hope you enjoy this and please review! Thanks:)

Chapter 36

"Rise and shine, Jackson!"

Danny squinted and threw his arms up in front of his face as sudden sunlight streamed into the room, the subtle pain from his middle at the sudden movement forgotten for the glare in his eyes.

"Ah! Jack, I'm trying to sleep here for crying out loud," the archaeologist complained, rolling over and sticking his head under the nearest pillow.

"Not anymore, Danny. Time to get up and get back to the base. We've got a big day ahead of us today, whether we like it or not," Jack replied. He moved away from the window in his guest room where'd he pulled up the shade to the side of the bed and pulled the pillow off of his friend's head. Daniel squinted up at him for a moment, then closed his eyes again, turned away and pulled the blanket over his face in defiance. Jack pulled that away, too.

"Really, Daniel, come on."

Finally Jackson sighed and rolled onto his back again, looking up at the colonel and rubbing his eyes. "All right, all right. You don't have to be so aggressive about it…"

"I'm not being aggressive," O'Neill protested. "I'm just making sure you're not late for work again. That's what friends are for, right?"

Danny smiled and sat up, reaching to get his glasses from the bedside table. "Sure, Jack." He slid to the edge, his legs hanging off the bed. The big sweatpants that belonged to Jack bagged at his ankles, and the too large t-shirt left one shoulder almost exposed. He looked down at himself. "Why do you sleep in such big clothes?" he asked, trying futilely to straighten his hair with his hands.

O'Neill shrugged. "I like to be comfortable. And about that hair--we have these neat things called brushes for that."

Jackson grabbed one of the pillows left on the bed and threw it at him. The older man caught it and threw it back at him. It hit Danny in the face and sent him sprawling backwards onto the bed, so he sat up and launched it towards Jack again, who was hit in the chest and let it drop into his hands. He, however, did not throw it again.

"Okay, fun's over. Get ready for work, Doctor Jackson," O'Neill grinned, dropping the pillow on the floor. "I'll get breakfast. We have cereal, cereal, and…cereal."

"Yeah, fine," Danny relented, standing and straightening his glasses on his face as they had been knocked out of whack by the pillow impact.

"I'll get breakfast. We have cereal, cereal, and…cereal," Jack announced as he turned to go and allow Jackson to dress. "What do you want?"

"Cereal's fine," the scientist replied, snickering. After all, he usually ended up eating breakfast on the way to or already in his office, which consisted of a power bar or two. He could certainly deal with cereal.

* * *

Jack looked up from where he sat at the small table in his kitchen when Danny tramped in, wearing the same clothes he'd had on yesterday. Not that it really mattered. They'd both change into fatigues once they got to the SGC. 

"Sleep okay?" O'Neill asked as his friend sat down and started to pour himself a bowl of Cheerios.

Jackson shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

Yeah, fine--sure. He seemed all right, but Jack was almost sure that at least two or three times during the night he'd woken to someone shouting, or crying, or…something. Vaguely the thought that he should get up and check on Danny had entered his mind, but he'd been too tired for the idea to take full root in his mind and had gone back to sleep. It hadn't really occurred to him what he'd been hearing until he'd woken up this morning. Now he was studying his friends closely, trying to make sure he was okay.

"What?" Danny asked, having noticed O'Neill's scrutiny.

"Nothing," Jack said quickly, turning back to his own cereal. "So…any nightmares?"

"A few," Danny admitted. "But I'm fine, Jack," he added, knowing what was on the older man's mind.

"Okay. How about those wounds?"

"They're fine. I'm fine. I feel fine, Jack, really."

O'Neill nodded slowly. "Okay, that's good."

But both knew it wasn't entirely true. Maybe the ache in his abdomen wasn't so pronounced anymore, and maybe he had managed to pull himself together for the most part, but Danny wasn't completely fine at all yet.

_She's going to leave_. Jackson's statement from the previous night of what was going to happen later in the morning echoed in Jack's mind. And he remembered the sorrow that had been packed into that one sentence, and the fear that his own Sha're would follow, that he wouldn't get her back, that had been there as well.

Jack could only hope that it wouldn't end that way, and that if it did he would be able to be there for his friend when he needed him.

* * *

"Dan'iel, you have syrup on your nose." 

Daniel blinked. "I--what?"

"You've gotten syrup on your nose," Sha're repeated, grinning.

The two of them were sitting in the commissary eating breakfast. They had been talking, laughing, and eating, and Daniel had almost been able to forget that they weren't younger and this wasn't Abydos. He'd almost been able to push from his mind that this was the last time he would ever see her, and her him.

"It's right…there," she said, reaching out with one index finger and swiping the sticky substance from his skin. Daniel smiled back and ducked away as she wiped her finger on her napkin.

Jackson looked down at his plate and realized that syrup was all that was left on it; the waffles were gone, as was Sha're's cereal.

"Are you done?" he asked, just to make sure.

"I am," she confirmed.

"Okay," Daniel nodded, picking up his plate and her bowl to put them away. Once he had placed the washable items were they belonged and their trash in its place he returned to the table, where Sha're was standing.

He put his arm around her and they left the commissary together silently. Nothing more needed to be said. They knew what the other felt, what they were thinking, and the jumble of emotions that tumbled in the mind of each, and knew they had to be satisfied with making the most of the time they had left.

But just down the corridor the moment was shattered when Daniel shouted, dropping to his knees as ECF hit again. Sha're went to the ground beside him as he shivered, the space around him warping. When it stopped a few seconds later and he was left gasping she wrapped her arms around him.

"Dan'iel, are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah…"

"It _is_ getting worse, Dan'iel. You still look pained."

He sighed and stood, schooling his features again. "It doesn't matter. With any luck we'll both be back where we belong later today."

Sha're steadied him when he swayed on his feet before regaining his equilibrium. Thankfully the seizure had happened and been over and done with before anyone had come around the corner and seen it. The last thing Daniel wanted was a group of people worrying over him. All he needed right now was Sha're--for the next two-and-a-half hours. That was how much longer they had before her team would return home…and then he would return to his own.

"Yes," Sha're sighed.

And then they were holding onto each other again, as they had the night before. Daniel kissed the top of her head. "It'll be okay," he assured her again.

She held onto him tightly, wondering how she could bear to lose him again but knowing that she had no choice but to. But suddenly Daniel gave another cry of pain and the warm body in her arms seemed to disappear.

Sha're's eyes snapped open. Daniel had stumbled back against the wall of the corridor, his body flickering violently, even worse than a few moments before.

"No!" he shouted, afraid that the Entropy Cascade Failure was trying to take him. He didn't even feel the floor when it came up to meet him, and couldn't see Sha're on her knees beside him even though distantly he could hear her calling his name. He could only feel the pain as the tendrils of time and space pulled at him--whether they were trying to pull him back to his own time or into oblivion, he didn't know for sure, but either way he wasn't ready to go.

"Dan'iel, Dan'iel!" Sha're cried desperately. But he couldn't answer; he shivered on the floor, the distorted space around him making his image blurry, for another minute or so before the ECF finally released him. When it had stopped Daniel lay motionless.

Sha're called his name again, but there was no answer. He was unconscious. But that was the least of her problems when her own world splintered.

* * *

Across the base the rest of both SG-1 teams had gathered in the corridor to go to breakfast together, but their short trek to the commissary was interrupted. 

Carter went down first, and then the older Teal'c, both flickering wildly and slumped against the wall as the others exclaimed in worry. But then Mitchell followed, and the corridor erupted into pandemonium as Sam tried to explain what was happening and Jack, Danny and their Teal'c tried to understand. After all, hadn't they established in the briefing room the day before that this shouldn't be happening?

After several agonizingly long seconds of confusion, the ECF ceased again and the SG-1 of 2005 straightened again, breathing hard.

"It started early," Carter gulped, pushing off the wall.

"That's not good," Sam agreed.

Mitchell grimaced. "Okay, that was not pleasant."

"You okay?" Jack asked.

"We will be fine, O'Neill," the older Teal'c nodded.

"But let me guess--we should probably get out of here sooner?" Mitchell asked.

"Probably," Sam nodded.

"But wait a second," Danny interrupted. "If that just happened to the three of you, then what about…"

Carter's eyes widened. "Sha're and Daniel!"

* * *

They found them just around the corner from the commissary, Daniel out cold and Sha're recovering from her own bout of Entropy Cascade Failure. Without hesitation the older Teal'c scooped Jackson up while Jack helped Sha're to her feet, and the group made straight for the infirmary. 


	37. Goodbyes

Oh dear...some of you may not like me anymore after this, but please keep reading. It will all be fine. I love happy endings, and I also want to keep the continuity of the TV show, which means everything has to fit into that storyline. If I'm going to write an AU story, the fact that it is AU will be in the description. But anyway. I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway, and those that come after it. We'e in the home stretch now. Please review and let me know what you think to keep me going so I can finish this story:) Thanks all!

Chapter 37

Daniel blinked at the harsh light that suddenly cut into his eyes as his consciousness returned. "Huh…?" he croaked, bringing a hand up in front of his face. He tried to bring the right one up too, but found something holding it down--or just holding onto it.

"Dan'iel?"

Slowly he opened his eyes the rest of the way and saw Sha're beside him and holding his hand, concern on her face. She was in full gear, and beside her the other three members of her team were too.

"Daniel, are you all right?" Another voice cut into his mind, and he turned to take in Janet Fraiser, who was standing on the other side of the bed. The infirmary; he was in the infirmary. He couldn't have been here long or for anything serious though, because his clothes hadn't been exchanged for anything else; he was still wearing crumpled blue fatigues. His glasses were on the cart next to the bed. He would pick them up later.

Daniel blinked a few more times at Fraiser before the memory of what had happened before he'd blacked out returned. "Yeah, Janet, I'm fine." He turned back to the others, all four of them decked in the black BDUs they'd been wearing when they came through the gate from their alternate future. "What's going on?"

"The ECF has gotten worse," Carter reported glumly. "It's affecting us now, too."

"But that wasn't supposed to happen."

Mitchell shrugged. Arms crossed. "But it did. The device is being moved to the 'gate room, and then we're out of here ASAP," he added.

Daniel sat up, ignoring the residual pain in his head and suddenly squeezing Sha're's hand harder. "What? No…" His heart started beating faster, almost wildly. They were leaving? Sha're was leaving? But they'd had more than two more hours to spend. It couldn't be gone now. No…

Carter sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Daniel. We have to go now. You'll have to leave after we do. Our younger selves are gearing up now too. They'll make sure you get home."

Daniel was sure that he saw tears in Sha're's eyes, but was he seeing them in this Samantha Carter's as well? When she stepped forward and hugged him fiercely he didn't have to wonder anymore. He returned the embrace just as tightly.

"Goodbye, Sam," he said quietly. But he knew it would have more effect on her than on him. He still had her friendship back in his own future, but she did not have his.

Carter held on for a moment or so before pulling back and kissing his cheek. "Bye," she answered. Her voice suddenly seemed close to breaking and she swiped at her eyes before smiling at him. "Take care of yourself. The other me just might have to bring you back and kill you herself if you go and die again."

Daniel smiled back. "I'll try not to let that happen."

She nodded. "Good." Then she stepped back to allow Mitchell to step up and shake his hand.

"Well, nice to meet you, Doctor Jackson. Good luck wherever you're going back to."

"Thanks. You too," Jackson said in return.

Teal'c was last, and clasped his arm tightly. "You will continue to be missed, Daniel Jackson," he said solemnly, nodding. And for cryin' out loud were there tears in the jaffa's eyes too?

"Bye Teal'c. Tell Riak and his wife I said hi."

"Indeed I will," Teal'c smiled.

Mitchell nodded to him, and then he, Teal'c and Carter turned to go.

"Daniel, are you sure you're all right?" Fraiser asked.

"Yeah, I feel fine, really," he reassured her. So she smiled, gave his arm a friendly pat and then walked away, leaving him alone with Sha're.

She swallowed. "I wish there were more time…" she trailed, head lowering.

Daniel swallowed hard and gently wrapped his arms around her. She held onto him as well. "I know. I do too. I know." Now more time? No. They had to have more time. She couldn't leave now. He couldn't leave now. He only wanted more time with her…but it was not to be.

"Dan'iel, I love you," Sha're said softly.

"I love you too," he whispered. Daniel felt something warm trickling down his cheek; it took him a moment to realize they were tears. He pulled away and brushed at them. "Crap, I promised myself I wouldn't do this…"

Sha're wiped a few of them away with her thumb. "It's all right, Dan'iel. I am too," she said gently. Blinking back the rest of his tears Daniel looked up again to see that there were damp lines on her face as well. They looked at each other's tear streaked faces for a moment before giggling faintly and looking away.

"We have survived this long without one another. I suppose we will keep surviving."

Sha're's statement brought Daniel's head back around, and in his head something clicked. These past two days, he had agonized over how he would survive without her again…but she had the answer, even if neither really felt it yet. They had survived until now, and they would be all right after they had parted again. It was as simple as that, and yet as hard as that.

Daniel stood and embraced her again, and this time when she cried into his shoulder he didn't try to stop his own tears from escaping and falling onto her hair.

* * *

Sam was agonizing over Danny again. She knew that he knew that while the SG-1 of this time were gearing up, his older self was in the infirmary saying goodbye to Sha're. None of them would ever see this Sha're again, and Sam could tell that Jackson was scared stiff that he might never see his own again, either. What if they went back to P5R-322 and the Goa'uld had already left, and there was no chance to rescue her--or worse yet, what if she hadn't left yet but they failed to rescue her. Sam couldn't imagine how horrible that would be for him.

Okay, that wasn't exactly true. She'd been there when he'd lost her again on Abydos, and saw how hurt he was on P5R-322 when he could help her, and seen him when he'd come back without her. If he had to do it again Danny would survive, but…she didn't want him to have to go through that again. She hoped and prayed they came home with Daniel safely back in his own time and Sha're in tow, ready to be freed of her invader with the help of the Tok'ra.

* * *

The tears had stopped, and Daniel kissed her once more, trying to memorize everything: every curve of her face, the touch of her skin, her scent, the almost silk-like feel of her hair between his fingers…

Sha're pulled her head back and looked up at him, her eyes still wet but not spilling tears any longer. The time for that was past. Their foreheads touched. "Remember your promise, Dan'iel," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Forever. We'll be together forever…even if it's not physically."

Daniel swallowed, his own eyes still damp. "Forever," he answered. To most it would have sounded lame, melodramatic, frivolous--and both knew it and found themselves smiling at each other again--but to them it was the words that kept them going, that carried deeper meaning and feeling than surface definition. It was their oath to each other to never forget.

* * *

Only moment later they were forced to separate so Daniel could put his glasses back on and gear up. They met again and went to the 'gate room together, where the rest of her SG-1 was waiting General Hammond. The defective Goa'uld device sat at the foot of the ramp, ready to be carried up in through time and space to their home in an alternate future.

They didn't have to wait long before the younger SG-1 arrive, their BDUs green instead of black. As they approached, the stargate began to dial, Walter's voice ringing out from the control room.

"Chevron one, encoded."

"Ready to go?" Jack asked as he sauntered in with his team behind him.

Mitchell shrugged. "Yeah. It's been fun and all, but we should be getting home."

"Nice meeting you," O'Neill said, shaking the other colonel's hand. "I'm kind of looking forward to when I meet the you here now."

"Thank you, sir," Mitchell smiled.

The 'gate continued to spin, the chevrons locking. Sha're went to Danny and embraced him, starting a round of hugs and goodbyes. Then the stargate opened, stopping them as the turned to look at it.

"Well kids, time to go," Mitchell sighed, sounding so much like O'Neill that the rest of them smiled.

Carter and Teal'c both hugged both Danny and Daniel one last time before taking their positions beside the device with Mitchell, who had already taken hold of his handle.

"Thanks for everything, general," the colonel waved back to Hammond.

General Hammond returned the wave and smiled. "You're welcome, colonel. Good luck."

Sha're started to take her place with her teammates, but then turned and flung herself into Daniel's arms again, burying her face in his neck. Jackson stumbled backwards a step but squeezed back.

"Goodbye, Dan'iel. I love you, my husband," she whispered.

Daniel held her tightly. "Goodbye; I love you, Sha're," he whispered in return.

Finally she let go, and he was forced to as well Daniel caught her hands as she stepped away from him, and she squeezed them in return for a moment before rejoining her team. _Goodbye_, his heart called again, silently weeping as the SG-1 of another 2005 that was not his picked up the device and carried it up the ramp to the shimmering blue sheen that was the open portal of the stargate.

There they paused to turn once more and again silently thank those here that had helped them, and Daniel saw Sha're's reply to his silent farewell in her eyes, and heard it just as clearly as if she had spoken it as she looked at him with a brave smile on her face. All waved goodbye and received waves and well wishes in return from those on the floor of the 'gate room.

"Well, just in case this doesn't work and we end up there here, or whatever…everybody be ready to get to your weapons," Mitchell advised. "If this were Star Trek I'd say something like 'phasers set to kill' or something, but it's not…"

Carter rolled her eyes, shook her head and grinned. "Shut up, Cam."

"Yes, ma'am," Mitchell replied jauntily, grinning back and throwing his peer a salute with his free hand.

Then Sha're was the one to reach down and press the button that would bring them to the right place and time, and she and her team stepped through the event horizon and disappeared.

Daniel's heart shattered all over again. He didn't notice when Sam put a hand on his arm, and the other on his younger self. He didn't notice Jack and Teal'c looking back and forth between the two shaken Jacksons with concern as he bent to pick up the pieces and tape them back together as well as he could. It was hard now, to let her go again--almost harder than it had been the first time--but he knew he would be all right. Sha're had been right; they would both survive, and move on, even if it wasn't easy. They had done it the first time, and he could do it again.

O'Neill snapped the Jacksons out of their thoughts, clapping each of them on the shoulder after he'd eyed Sam into moving.

"It's our turn, Danny-boy," Jack said quietly, seeming to address both of them with the one name. They came to and realized that the 'gate was dialing again--to P5R-322.

Daniel sighed heavily. "Yeah. It's time to go home."

"We'll make sure you get there," O'Neill assured him.

Daniel managed to smile at him. "Thanks, Jack."

Sam, however, was now bringing her focus to Danny. "Will you be all right?"

"I will be as soon as we do this," the younger Jackson answered, crossing his arms over his chest in the familiar Daniel Jackson self-hug.

The 'gate opened again, spilling out its bluish wave of particles and then settling into the well-known puddle of blue within the great ring of naquida.

"Everybody ready?" O'Neill questioned.

"Ready as we'll ever be," both Jackson's answered together. They looked at each other again, amused by the occurrence but used to it enough now not to laugh or roll their eyes. There would be no point.

Colonel O'Neill shrugged. "Okay then. Let's go."

And SG-1 plus one marched up the ramp, weapons at the ready, and stepped through the stargate.


	38. Danger

Okay, this was much fun. Long chapter for you! Yay:) Read, enjoy, and please review so I can keep writing fast for you! Thanks:)

Chapter 38

As soon as they were on the other side O'Neill, Carter, Teal'c, and Daniel raised their weapons and spread out from the 'gate platform to check for jaffa. Danny drew his gun as well, but hung back, watching warily. After a moment it became obvious that no one was currently in the cavernous chamber and the five relaxed somewhat.

Jack straightened. "Okay—Carter, Teal'c, make sure Daniel gets where he needs to be. Danny, you're with me."

There were nods all around, and a 'yes sir', and within moments the first three-person division of their forces had moved out, heading deeper into the underground complex toward where the time device was kept.

Then the younger Jackson turned to O'Neill. "What are we doing?" he asked, confused.

"We're looking for Sha're," Jack shrugged. Without another word the colonel started toward another, smaller exit on the other side of the room.

Danny stared after him for a moment before he came to his and smiled to himself. _Thanks, Jack_, he thought silently. There was no point in saying it aloud. O'Neill knew how much gratitude he was feeling at the moment, and if Danny tried to tell him Jack would only brush aside what he was doing for his friend as no big deal. He didn't like to make a fuss of such things.

Danny followed him silently through the corridors, still hurting from watching the older Sha're leave and hoping above all hope that they would be able to rescue his own today. He'd waited more than two years for this chance. If only they didn't blow it…

O'Neill and Jackson were approaching a corner when suddenly several jaffa advanced from the other side, staff weapons open and aimed straight at them. The colonel fell back a step and Danny's eyes widened. Both turned quickly back in the direction they had come but more jaffa were pouring into the hallway from a now open door not far behind them.

"Crap, when did jaffa learn to sneak up like that!" O'Neill complained loudly.

"Kree, Tau'ri!" One of the jaffa shouted at them.

"Daniel…?"

Danny gulped. "He wants us to put our weapons down."

Jack sighed. "Thought so." Slowly he lifted the strap from around his neck, at the same time discretely flipping a switch on his radio, leaving it on so that the others could hear what was happening here, but couldn't respond and let the jaffa know there were more intruders on the base. Danny caught the action and turned his own radio off as he set his gun down, so the continuous transmission from O'Neill's could not be heard over his.

Once both humans' weapons were on the ground and they had straightened, hands up at their sides, the door through which the jaffa behind them had come opened again. This time it was Amaunet who stepped into the corridor. Danny swallowed hard as she smiled.

"Doctor Jackson, Colonel O'Neill—what a pleasant surprise."

"Yeah, I bet," Jack snorted.

The Goa'uld glared in his direction. "Jaffa, bring them," she ordered shortly. Then she turned on her heel and marched away; two of the jaffa closed in on each of the captives, caught their arms and pushed them after her.

"Jack, what now?" Danny whispered.

O'Neill shrugged. "Carter and Teal'c'll get the other you home, break us out, and we go back through the 'gate," he replied quietly.

Jackson's eyes rolled. "You make it sound so simple-"

"Silence!" one of the jaffa snarled at them, as simultaneously the butts of two staff weapons cracked into the back of the humans' heads—not hard enough to knock them out or cause damage but definitely harsh enough to hurt. Both Jack and Danny ducked forward, yelping, and came up wishing their hand were free enough to rub at the offended spot.

O'Neill groaned. "Okay, this is officially bad," he muttered.

Danny said nothing in return, not wanting to risk being clobbered again. Instead he stared silently at Amaunet's back as she led the jaffa behind her to wherever she was having her two prisoners taken. He felt his emotions rising in his throat again and gulped them down. Now was not the time to get like that. They had to escape so they could rescue Sha're. He couldn't let her stay that way, trapped in her body. It wasn't right.

* * *

"Sam, wait," Daniel said quietly, but urgently, putting out a hand to stop her and Teal'c. The small party stopped and fell silent, listening to the sounds and conversation-or what there was of it-coming through their radios.

Carter pulled in a breath. "Darn it. They've been caught." It didn't take them much longer to realize that one of their friends' radios was being purposefully left on for their benefit. Now they would know what was happening on the other end; they just had to keep from getting captured out.

"Daniel, you can get to the device and get out of here without us, can't you?" carter asked then.

Jackson blinked. "Well, yeah, but why would I? I'm going to help you get them out of there."

"You need to be back in your own time, Daniel Jackson, and you know more than any of us how many times we have succeeded in rescues. We will all be fine. You must go."

"Teal'c, part of my team is in trouble. I don't care if I'm in a different time. I'm not just going to walk away."

Sam sighed. "All right, let's go," she relented. There was no reason to argue the point. There was no point, not to mention that at the moment they had friends that needed their help.

* * *

Moments later Amaunet disappeared through a doorway, and the jaffa brought in the humans after her. Jack had no reaction to where they were, but Danny's blood ran cold when he recognized it as the same chamber where he had been tortured, and Sha're had been tortured…

But Jackson was pulled from his thoughts when he realized that now that they were all inside all of Amaunet's attention had turned to him, and she did not look happy.

"So you have returned--to allow your older self to travel home, or perhaps in hope of capturing me, no doubt," she scowled, hitting both nails on the head. "It does not matter. I chose to revive you last time and it led to the escape of both of you. I will not make the same mistake again, Doctor Jackson."

Danny stood frozen, but O'Neill's ears perked up at that. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" the colonel demanded. He gave the hands around his arms an experimental test but was only jerked back to a motionless position.

Amaunet ignored him, advancing on Danny. "It ends here, Daniel," she glared, raising the hand that bore the ribbon device. His eyes widened, realizing now what she meant.

"No-" he gulped, pulling back, but the jaffa held him.

"Whoa, wait a minute-" Jack protested.

Still she did not acknowledge the colonel, and in seconds the hand device had snapped on and its thick orange beam had caught Danny in its clutches. The scientist gasped in pain and his knees buckled, bringing him down.

No, not again! It didn't end this way last time she tried. Please, don't let it end this way…

"Hey!" Jack shouted, lunging forward.

"Hold him back!" Amaunet ordered, turning to glare at the older man briefly, who glared right back at her. Then she turned back to Danny, and the beam from the hand device bore down, intent on snuffing out Daniel Jackson's life.

* * *

Daniel screamed. He dropped to his knees, trembling as his body phased in and out.

"Daniel!" Carter yelped. She came down beside him, looking around warily to make sure no one had heard that. Thankfully, no, there didn't seem to be anyone in the vicinity of where they were in the corridors of the complex.

They'd heard the ribbon device activate on the other end of the radio connection, and O'Neill's protest as they hurried to where the signal was coming from. She'd been worried then, but now…

"Daniel Jackson, what is wrong?" Teal'c asked urgently.

"She is-Ah! She's killing him!" Daniel gasped, hands clasped around his head as the threads of space and time pulled at him again.

Sam tried to touch him, but her hand went right through; the fluctuations were too fast. The major paled, and her stomach tightened. "Uh-oh…" Then she realized another problem: The sudden bout of ECF was too severe. Daniel couldn't breathe.

"Daniel?" But he wasn't answering anymore, trying too hard to get air into his lungs that wouldn't come. "Daniel, hold on!" she yelped in distress. But even if O'Neill could stop Amaunet in time to save Danny, Daniel could still die before that from loss of oxygen.

* * *

"Stop it!" Jack shouted yet again, still struggling against his captors. "Don't do this! You don't have to kill him!"

"Yes, I do, Colonel O'Neill. You are not Goa'uld. You would not understand. Now kindly be quiet."

"Oh yeah right, lady. I am _not_ just going to stand here and let you kill my friend, you hear me! Leave him alone!" O'Neill was seething outwardly, but inwardly he was scared out of his wits. What would he do if Daniel died…? He didn't want to think about it. Jackson was his best friend, and he wasn't afraid to admit--to himself, at least--that he would be lost without him. He'd already been through more than one instance of believing that Daniel was dead, and he didn't plan on going through that hell again if he could help it.

But even though he protested as loudly as he could, it still seemed as if that possibility was drawing closer. Danny's face was contorted in pain, fresh sweat covered his brow and he was growing weaker by the second. If the attack wasn't stopped soon he would die, just as Amaunet wanted.

"DANIEL!!"

Finally Amaunet turned to him again and scowled. Reluctantly she withdrew her hand and the beam flickered off. Danny collapsed with a cry, curling on his side and holding his head as he gasped. But at the same time his mind swirled in confusion. Had that been Sha're's voice he had heard in his mind? _Dan'iel, I'm sorry._ He thought he'd heard her, just before the beam had turned off.

* * *

The flickering suddenly stopped, as through the radio waves they heard Amaunet deactivate the hand device. Daniel slumped back against the wall, but his eyes were still wide in panic; his lungs weren't cooperating again yet. Desperately he tried, his chest heaving, but still nothing found its way in. Against his will his eyes were drifting shut; they were losing him.

"Daniel Jackson!"

Sam grabbed his shoulders. "Daniel, come on, breathe!" she pleaded, shaking him. His eyes focused on her, and finally he was able to suck in precious air. Greedily he gulped it as Carter almost collapsed in relief.

"Thanks goodness!" she cried, tears filling her eyes as she hugged him tightly. She let Daniel lean against her for a moment or so as he continued to pull in air, holding onto him as if afraid he might disappear again. Jackson accepted the support gratefully, suddenly almost worried of the same thing himself. Too much had happened in the past few days for him to be sure that at some point before he made it home something _wouldn't_ happen to erase him from existence.

* * *

Jack blinked, relieved that Danny wasn't going to die but still confused as to why she had, in fact, stopped. "Why…?"

But Amaunet said nothing until Danny had recovered enough to look up at her weakly, the same question in his now exhausted eyes. She smirked down at her host's husband.

"It seems that your friend is quite insistent that I not kill you," she said almost casually, taking a step away from Jackson and closer to O'Neill. "Of course I cannot oblige his request, but I suppose I could spare him from having to watch." She raised one eyebrow at Danny. "Do you think that would be more satisfactory?"

Still breathing heavily Danny pushed himself up on one elbow, trying to straighten his mind out again enough to understand what she was saying. Jack looked back and forth between the two, confused as well.

"Huh?"

But now Amaunet was smiling even wider. "Yes, I do believe that will work much better. I will have the satisfaction of killing you, _and_ the enjoyment of seeing your horror when I kill one of your friends…" She trailed off and glanced pointedly at O'Neill, who paled.

Danny pushed himself up farther, eyes going wide. "N-no!" he objected weakly.

"Oh, but it will all be so much more fun that way," the Goa'uld sneered.

"B-But you never wanted Jack. You only wanted me dead. Let him go; you don't need him."

"Precisely why there is no reason not to get rid of him. He is a nuisance to all the Goa'uld, as are you and the rest of your team."

Danny winced. Okay, wrong choice of words.

"Hey, quit talking about me in the third person. I'm right here you know," O'Neill said in annoyance, trying not to show that he wasn't any happier at the thought of dying himself than he was of his friend being killed.

Amaunet turned on him, still smirking with her superior attitude, and again lifted her left hand. The colonel struggled against the jaffa again, and Danny tried to get to his feet.

"Don't!" Danny shouted. But Amaunet, of course, did not comply with his wishes.

* * *

"Jack!!" The cry that came through the radio next chilled Carter to the core and she let go of Daniel, sitting back on her heels.

"Are you okay?" she asked of him quickly. When he nodded she stood, and he followed. "We have to move-_now_," she stressed.

"Way ahead of you," Jackson gulped, picking up his zat and sprinting down the corridor in front of them. His head still pounded and his body tried to protest, still weak from being rattled around so much, but he ignored the discomfort and led Sam and Teal'c on in the direction of their friends.

His comment that he was way ahead of them was, in fact, true. When Amaunet had come close to killing his younger self only moments ago he'd felt the reverberations through the timeline, the effect it would have if she succeeded, and now that she was trying to kill O'Neill Daniel could feel that, too.

Unbidden, images of a past from this point on with no Jack O'Neill pulsed through his mind. Daniel pushed them away; none of them were pleasant. He wouldn't let it happen. Jack was his best friend, and even if it was the last thing he did he wasn't going to let him die. He wouldn't enjoy that any more than he Sha're or Janet's deaths, and the last thing he needed right now was another loss.

* * *

Despite the fact that Danny continued to try to pull himself up or toward Amaunet and shout at her to leave O'Neill alone, the jaffa did not bother with him. The archaeologist was still too weak from the effects of the ribbon device to stand, and they did not see him as a threat to their goddess's plans.

Now it was O'Neill on his knees before the Goa'uld, grimacing agony as the beam from the hand device drilled into his forehead. It had been too long. He should have been dead already…but then again the colonel was the military man, tougher in general...Amaunet frowned and intensified the beam, and Jack's mouth fell open in a nearly silent scream only heard by his sharp intake of air.

"No!" Danny shouted. "Stop it! Sha're, please!" But there was no answer from either his wife or the Goa'uld. He and O'Neill were on their own. "Jack!!" he screamed again.

The next few seconds happened in a blur. Without warning the door open and Carter, Teal'c, and his older self stormed in, zats blazing. Daniel came first, quickly firing on Amaunet and dropping her away from O'Neill. The hand device deactivated as she fell, and once Sam took out the jaffa holding him up he collapsed, unmoving. Teal'c took down the other two jaffa that stood near Danny.

"Danny, you okay?" Carter asked, looking in his direction as she knelt beside Jack, who appeared unconscious.

Jackson nodded wordlessly and crawled to Sha're's side. Daniel was already there, looking down at her with a stricken expression on his face, the reason for which became obvious when Danny saw that she was still conscious--barely. But was it Amaunet?

"Sha're?" Danny asked hesitantly, pushing her hair from her face. Weakly she gazed up at him and his counterpart, and when he saw the emotions that swam behind her eyes he knew that it was, indeed, his wife looking back at him. He lay his hand on her cheek. "Hold on, Sha're. It'll be okay, we'll get you out of here…" he trailed off when his throat closed up. _Please_, he pleaded silently. _Please let this be it. Please. I only want her back. Just let me have that this time…_

On the floor her hand groped a bit, found his other one there and closed around it. "Dan'iel, I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he managed to respond, before she lost consciousness.

"Guys, the colonel stopped breathing!" Carter cried suddenly.

"What?!" Daniel yelped, immediately scurrying to her side.

Danny looked up quickly once he'd pried his eyes from Sha're, ready to do whatever was needed to keep Jack alive, but Sam and his older self had already stared in on the CPR. He was scared more than he cared to voice that O'Neill wouldn't make it, but insanely the thought that went through his head was that he was glad it was Daniel who was doing the chest compressions, because if he'd had to see himself breathing into Jack's mouth--which would have just looked wrong--the image would have haunted him forever. Not to mention that the colonel never would have let him forget it. Thank goodness for small mercies.

After that slightly humorous thought Danny was ready for this to be simply another, uneventful close by SG-1's standards, but it wasn't looking so good. They didn't seem to be having any luck. Teal'c hovered over them worriedly, if a jaffa could look worried, while Danny remained frozen where he was, attention riveted to his friend's chest, looking for any indication that he was breathing again. So far there was none.

"Colonel, don't do this!" Carter pleaded between breaths.

"Come on, Jack, you're not getting off from all those bad jokes this easy," Daniel gulped. He tried to make light of it, but Danny could see the tears in the corners of his counterpart's eyes as he realized that their chances of reviving O'Neill were sinking by the second, and he felt more of them in his own eyes.

"Darn it, Jack, wake up!" Danny called desperately, adding his own two cents to theirs even though all of them knew he couldn't hear them.

But it seemed almost as if he had, because finally the colonel coughed and pulled in a shaky breath. There was a simultaneous sigh as Carter and Daniel sat back, grinning.

Danny let his head drop. "For cryin' out loud, Jack. I know you hate it when I do that, but did you have to get me back _that_ way?"

Jack cleared his throat and took a few more breaths before letting Carter help him sit up. He shrugged. "What would have been the fun of doing it another way?"

"He has a point," Daniel shrugged, still smiling in relief.

Danny frowned. "Hey, you're _me_; how can you be on _his_ side?" he complained.

"I'm not on his side. I didn't enjoy that any more than you did. I'm just saying he has a point.

The younger Jackson sighed and shook his head. "Okay, whatever…"

O'Neill, who was massaging his own forehead, grinned wickedly. "Maybe you should listen to him, Danny. This older you here seems to have more sense.

"Sure Jack-" But Danny was cut off when the eyes of the other four in the room widened and all seemed to shout a warning at him for some reason at once.

"Daniel-!"

"Look out!"

"Daniel Jackson!"

"Behind you!"

Only the last one gave him much clue what they were talking about, but by then it was too late for him realize that behind him Amaunet had already awakened. Before Jackson could do much more than turn to look in her direction her hand had closed around his left wrist. With no match for the strength of a Goa'uld, he was helpless to stop her as she quickly twisted his arm behind him--which brought a cry of pain--and pulled him back against her, roughly grabbing his chin in the other hand. There was no doubt in any of their minds that she could snap his neck in an instant if she so wished, so none of them moved. Danny too froze, holding himself rigid against her, knowing she would have qualms with killing him right that moment.

By now, O'Neill was glaring. "You know, I'm _reaaally_ getting tired of you snakeheads right about now."

She scowled right back at him, and simply twisted Danny's arm that much more harshly. Jackson shouted.

"Whoa! Hey easy!" Jack protested, holding his hands up.

"Silence. Release me and surrender yourselves or he dies."

"I don't think so. You'll just kill all of us eventually anyway, and him first because you want him out of the way," Carter replied.

"So how about you let the nice archaeologist go, and come back to earth with us," O'Neill suggested.

"I will do no such thing," the Goa'uld frowned. "Now all of you, put your weapons down, or I _will_kill him." To prove her point she purposefully gave Danny's arms another harsh twist, and the younger man howled in pain when one of the bones in his forearm snapped. The others were only a few feet away, and could hear the sound from there. Eyes widened and faces went slack in horror. Danny slumped, gasping in pain, but Amaunet did not release her iron grip on either the newly broken limb or his head.

"Sha're, please, stop," he choked. By now there were tears slipping from his eyes and forming trails down his cheeks, and not all of them were from physical pain. But for his efforts to reach his wife Amaunet only rewarded him with another twist to his arm. Danny screamed, and the rest of his team reacted.

"Stop it!" Sam cried.

"Let him go," O'Neill grated, at the same time giving Teal'c a minute gesture with his head. The jaffa caught the action and acted immediately. Before Amaunet could move to kill the younger Jackson his zat came up and fired. The beam enveloped both Danny and the Goa'uld, but that couldn't be helped. Both slumped to the ground, out.

Jack rose unsteadily to his feet with Carter's help, and after figuring out that he couldn't walk on his own quite yet he leaned on her. Teal'c had bent to pick up the unconscious Danny even before O'Neill's mouth opened to tell him to, so he started with the next object at hand.

"Uhm…we're going to have to get her to the 'gate somehow, and without any jaffa seeing us, hopefully."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow as he straightened with a Jackson over one shoulder. "It is unlikely we will not, O'Neill."

"Yeah, kinda figured…"

"Jack, she's dead!"

Daniel had moved to Sha're's side again, but now his voice rose from below them, panicked.

"Crap," O'Neill winced. "Are you sure?"

Jackson nodded, his face white. He'd planned on keeping the timeline the same, not letting it change so that Sha're died sooner…

Sam swallowed. "Oh no. It must have been too soon after she got hit the first time. Oh crap, Daniel, I'm sorry…"

"Hold it, Carter," Jack interrupted. "They have a sarcophagus, remember? She'll be fine. We'll still have a chance to get that thing out of her her, but just not today. We'll have to leave her this time." He looked around at the others. "Right?"

Daniel nodded weakly and stood, shaking. "Y-Yeah," he stammered. Despite the fact that he knew she would be all right…for another couple of months anyway, seeing her lying there again, dead, shook him.

There was silence for a few seconds more, until it was broken by the sound of jaffa boots clanging in a nearby corridor.

"Uh-oh, time to go people," Jack ordered, ignoring the fact that he was in no condition to be commanding anything, still leaning on Carter.

Daniel swallowed again and finally looked up at the rest of them. "Okay…look, I know where the device is. You guys get back to the 'gate. I can make it."

"Daniel, I told you we were going to make sure you got home," O'Neill protested.

"Jack, those jaffa sound too close. If you try to follow me back there and then get back out to the 'gate you'll never make. I'll be all right, really. Just get home yourself."

The two men stared each other down--not for the first time.

"Uh, sir, he does have a point," Sam added finally.

Jack rolled his eyes. "All right, fine. But take care of yourself, Daniel. Don't go and get yourself shot on the way back there or anything, got it?"

Daniel managed a smile. "I'll do my best."

O'Neill nodded. "Good. Well…nice having you around, I guess, since I can't exactly say 'meeting', you know…"

"No, you can't, really," the scientist shrugged. "It was nice, too, being…back here again, I suppose, in a way…" But he trailed off, not knowing what else he should say. There really wasn't much he could.

"See you on the other side?" Sam smiled.

Daniel actually laughed at that, once. "Yeah, I guess so. I don't know exactly how we'll all remember this when I get back home though."

"Well we'll find out, won't we?" Jack said. "Now let's get out of here before those jaffa get too close, Carter."

"Oh! Right, sir, going," the major complied.

With that, the younger SG-1 left. All three conscious members cast their friend's future self one last glance over their shoulders to wave before turning the corner and disappearing from sight.

Daniel sighed when they were gone. He knew he need to get moving as well, or he would be found. Quickly he bent beside Sha're again and kissed her forehead.

"I love you," he whispered quietly, one last time, before straightening. He looked down at her for another moment, trying to hold his cracking heart together. When he had gathered himself enough he left as well, headed the opposite direction from the others.


	39. Home

Now we're winding to a close...darn it. No, this is not the last chapter, but not too much more to go here. Another chapter or two. Three if I decide to go nuts. But anyway, this is the critical part where I'm winding down, trying to close everything, and I really need all of your input to keep me going so I can finish, so please review these last chapters and let me know if you've enjoyed it and are enjoying the ending. :) Thanks and enjoy this chapter:)

Chapter 39

Daniel managed to get almost to his destination without incident. Just as he turned the corner than brought him within sight of the door he needed to go through, however, déjà vu struck again when he found himself face-to-face with several jaffa.

"Darn it!" he yelped, turning to go around the other way and diving for the cover of the next hallway. But the jaffa had seen him, and a staff blast caught his arm as he dove. Crying out as he hit the wall on the other side of the corridor, he pushed off it with his uninjured arm and kept going, now out of sight of the jaffa. But they were following him. A spot on the top of Daniel's right forearm was now charred and bloody and hurt like heck, but he couldn't let it stop him.

He ran for all he was worth, knowing that he was as good as dead if the jaffa caught up to him. There was no use standing his ground to fight. There was only one of him, and several of them. Besides, if he could just make it into the chamber where the device was held, all he had to do--or so both Samantha Carters had said--was press that one button, and he would be back where he belonged and out of reach of the jaffa. There, only a few feet from another of the entrances to the room now…

Daniel shouted when another staff blast skimmed by his right leg, half of the blast burning away his pants leg there and leaving its mark on his flesh. He stumbled to a stop, clutching the door frame and pulled himself into the large, circular chamber. Gasping in pain, he staggered across the room to the device. Now where was that button…?

Just as he spotted it the jaffa gained on him again, showing up the doorway he had just come through. One of them fired…

Daniel reached for the panel with his good arm and pounded on the button, but it wasn't soon enough. The staff blast slammed into the his left shoulder, he started to fall, and then there was a brilliant flash of light…

The only thought Daniel had before blacking out was of where the blast had hit him. _Déjà vu yet again…_

_

* * *

_

SG-1 made it the Goa'uld facility's 'gate room with no problem, but alas an undetected escape was not meant to be. A contingent of jaffa caught up to their retreat just as Carter was dialing the 'gate. Daniel was still unconscious, and even though O'Neill was standing a little straighter he still couldn't walk without Sam's support, so the once the 'gate had opened the she and Jack hobbled quickly to the open wormhole with Teal'c not far behind.

Staff blasts rang in their ears but they made it through unharmed, and the iris was closed before any of the jaffa could follow. More weapons' fire thudded against the solid metal, but soon the 'gate shut down.

Jack sighed heavily as Carter lowered him to the ramp where they all collapsed tiredly, awaiting the medical team. They would need gurneys for both Jackson and O'Neill. The scientist was out cold, and the colonel couldn't walk.

"Another adventure over," he muttered.

"Yes sir," Carter sighed in answer.

Teal'c took Danny from his shoulder and gently set him on the ramp. Sam redirected his head to her lap before it touched the cold metal grating and tenderly straightened his glasses and stroked his forehead.

"He'll be all right…right, Carter?"

The major shrugged, wincing when she finally got a good look at the odd angle his left forearm was at now. Amaunet had really done a number on the limb. "Physically, he'll be fine in a few weeks, as soon as his arm heels, but…" She trailed off and shrugged. "I don't know," she finished quietly.

It was then that General Hammond came hurrying through the now open door to the 'gate room.

"Colonel, what happened?" the general asked, concern evident in his voice.

O'Neill had leaned forward and pressed his aching head into his hands. "Daniel should be back where he belongs now, but we had a little run-in with Amaunet before we could get out," he answered, looking up briefly to give Hammond a glance at the angry red burn on his forehead. The general quickly gave the rest of the team a visual once-over. Jackson had a similar, though not quite as bright burn on his own skin, and the left arm looked horrible. Major Carter looked a bit tired, but all right, and Teal'c was fine.

Hammond sighed. "All right then, colonel. Doctor Fraiser will be here shortly with a medical team. The de-briefing can wait until she's cleared you and Doctor Jackson from the infirmary."

"Yes sir," Jack nodded wearily. For once, he almost didn't mind being sent to the infirmary. After all, he would have a valid excuse to look after Danny until he woke up, and besides that he really needed a good rest himself.

A soft moan came from Carter's lap then, and she and the others looked down to see that Danny was beginning to stir.

"Jack…?" he said groggily, eyes still closed.

O'Neill looked up from his hands again. "Right here, Danny. What is it?"

"Sha're?" he mumbled.

"She'll be fine." Danny tried to move, but stopped and grimaced when his shifting sent pain shooting through his arm. "Go back to sleep, Daniel." But it seemed the suggestion wasn't need. Jackson was already nodding off again, and seconds later he was out.

* * *

Daniel groaned as consciousness returned. Someone was shaking him, and it wasn't helping his injuries any. On the contrary, it was only making the throbbing wounds hurt more. 

"Daniel, can you hear me?"

"Daniel Jackson!"

"You with us, Jackson?"

Sam, Teal'c, Cameron, he realized as his mind cleared somewhat. That meant he was back in his own time, didn't it?

"Guys?" he asked quietly, his eyes opening a crack. All three were leaning over him, looking rather worried.

Carter sighed. "Thank goodness, Daniel, what happened?"

"How the crap did you get staff blast wounds in here?" Mitchell asked in pure confusion.

Daniel's eyes traveled to the device. "That thing," he answered hoarsely. "Don't touch it. I ended up in '99…"

Sam's eyes widened. "It was you!" she said as she realized what he was saying. Cameron looked at her strangely. "I mean, it really was going to be you--the other you that was here then, last time you were here…"

Now Daniel was looking at her strangely. "You remember it that way?"

She nodded, but now she seemed angry with herself. "Darn it, I knew we shouldn't have let you go on by yourself. You needed cover."

Daniel smiled weakly. "Don' t tell me you've been worrying about that for six years?"

"Well, not exactly," she shrugged. "But I sure was today. You scared me half to death when you went off by yourself when we got here earlier…"

"So…this is when I left?"

Carter nodded again. "It did the same thing it did then--returned you to the moment it pulled you from."

"Oh…" Daniel sighed. Then he grimaced, deciding that hadn't been such a great idea. He closed his eyes again as Mitchell said something about having read that mission report before as the colonel seemed to realize what they were talking about.

He felt Sam's hand on his forehead. "Don't worry, Daniel; we'll get you back to the SGC. You'll be fine," she assured him gently.

He was just able to give her a minute nod before he fell back into the darkness.

* * *

Once again Danny awoke to find himself staring at the plain white ceiling of the infirmary, its buzz in his ears. His head still hurt from exposure to the ribbon device, and his broken arm had been set and put in a cast. Blinking to clear his head, he turned to look for Jack, but there was no one sitting on either side of his bed as usual. 

Sighing, Jackson started to settle back under his blankets for more rest before anyone noticed he was awake, but then from behind him there was a whistle for his attention.

"Over here, Danny-boy," came O'Neill's voice.

Danny turned to his left, and there in the bed beside him was Jack O'Neill. He blinked for a moment, trying to remember why Jack was in here with him this time. After a moment or so it came back to him. He rolled his eyes and dropped back onto his pillows.

"Jack, there's only one of me now. Do you have to keep calling me that?"

O'Neill shrugged. "I was kinda getting used to it."

"Well _don't_, because 'Danny' stops here," Jackson insisted.

"Okay, okay," Jack relented. "How's your arm?

Now it was Danny's turn to shrug. "It doesn't hurt so much anymore," he answered, glancing down at the cast that encased his forearm and the first part of his upper arm, trapping the limb in a bent position. "What about your head?"

"I've been better," O'Neill admitted.

"Ah…"

Danny sighed, and his eyes began to wonder the infirmary. Jack knew what--or rather, who--he was looking for, but said nothing until his friend stopped looking and sank back onto the bed.

"She's not here, is she?" he asked quietly, staring at the ceiling again.

"No, Daniel," O'Neill answered gently.

"What happened?"

Jack swallowed hard. "We weren't going to let Amaunet kill you. Teal'c had to zat the two of you to get her off you, but it was too soon after the first zat blast she took."

Danny went from tired and pale to white as a sheet. "W-what?" he stammered.

"We had to leave her there. They have a sarcophagus; she'll be fine," the colonel told him quickly. "She's still out there, Daniel. We'll find her again."

Jackson's eyes closed again and a tear or two trailed unbidden down his face. "You're right, Jack, but…I just wanted it to be over this time. I just hoped we'd have that _thing_ out of her by now…But I don't guess we always get what we want, do we?"

O'Neill shook his head even though Danny wasn't looking at him. "No, but think about it this way: At least it _isn't_ over. It didn't end like this. She's still alive."

Danny nodded weakly, not trusting his voice to respond again. Silently he turned over and pulled his blankets up to his neck again, burying his head in his pillows. His heart felt like shattering yet again, but he knew Jack was right. Sha're was still alive; there was still hope.

But no matter what happened in the end, now he knew that she stood by their promise as he did: Forever. They belonged to each other forever, and nothing could take that away from them.

* * *

Amaunet and her contingent departed from P5R-322 within hours of SG-1's escape, seeing no reason to remain. Daniel would not be able to find her so easily now, and Sha're knew it. Even as the rings took Amaunet to her ship Sha're fought to stay, but the Goa'uld ignored her. 

Sha're took comfort in the fact of what she had discovered, however. She _could_ send messages, thoughts through the hand device when Amaunet used it if she tried hard enough. She could use that to gain strength, to aid her in her battle against the demon that inhabited her body. Perhaps the next time the Goa'uld used the device she would try again, even if it wasn't Daniel. Being able to apologize to Amaunet's victims for what the parasite was doing with her body might help to keep her sane enough to stay strong. It was a control she did still have—her own mind, even if it was trapped and her own thoughts, and feelings,—and she would cherish them; use them to her advantage when she could.

Amaunet had not succeeded in killing Daniel. He was still out there, and still looking for her. She knew he would keep his promise, as she would, if only she could hold on until the day he found her again. But even so, Sha're still felt the guilt of what the Goa'uld had done to her husband, and the sorrow of not being able to be with him again, of not being freed this time around, that the encounter was over until the next.

The Goa'uld hu'tack vessel carrying Amaunet to her next destination jumped into hyperspace, and as the Goa'uld stood at the front viewport, watching the swirl of bluish-purple subspace rush by, her control faltered just long enough for a single tear of her host's to slip down her cheek.

* * *

_Infirmary again_, Daniel moaned inwardly, trying to bring the hazy blank ceiling into focus. Blinking, he turned his head to one side at a sound of movement to his right and saw a figure clad in dark blue and topped with silver. At first he thought it to be General Landry, but then realized it was too thin. Not to mention that Landry never wore his uniform jacket around the base. None of the few generals that had commanded the SGC over the years ever had. 

"Welcome back," the figure said cheerfully. The voice was familiar, but couldn't possibly be who it sounded like. The man was holding his glasses out to him and Daniel quickly took them and put them back on his face. The only arm uninjured enough to reach out with had been his right, but even that one had suffered a staff blast burn to the forearm, which was now bandaged along with the other wounds. The pain that twinged through Daniel's arm, however, was quickly forgotten when the world suddenly came into focus, showing him just who it was sitting beside his bed.

"Jack? What the heck are you doing here?" he asked in surprise.

O'Neill shrugged. "I flew over, got here an hour or so ago."

"Shouldn't you be back in Washington?"

"Well, yeah, but hey, can't a guy take a day of every now and then to check up on a friend?"

"Jack, in the past two months I've only seen you once, and even then it _wasn't_ because of one of the half a dozen times I ended up in the infirmary. Why now?"

Jack sighed. "Because this time I know what happened," he admitted. "All that…other stuff was new to me. I was just hearing about the Ori and all and trying to get it all straightened out over there….Well, to make a long story short I just never got the chance to come here myself to make sure you were okay. Not that I didn't want to. But I remember this, or…the part of it that happened six years ago anyway. By the way, didn't I _tell_ you _not_ to get yourself shot? And then you go and get shot _three times_ on the way back here? For cryin' out loud, Daniel, sometimes I swear you're making me grayer on purpose."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, eyes going pointedly toward the general's hair.

O'Neill scowled. "Okay, okay, so it's already gray. Whiter then. Really, Daniel, are you ever going to stop making me worry about you?"

Jackson smiled in amusement. "I'll give you the same answer I did six years ago: Probably not."

O'Neill huffed and rolled his eyes. "Didn't think so." After a moment of silence he leaned his elbows on the bed. "So…how you doing?"

Daniel had to resist the urge to shrug. "I don't know," he admitted, looking away.

"Sorry it didn't turn out like you wanted it too," Jack said quietly.

"Yeah, me too," Daniel sighed. "But…at least she's not trapped in her own body with that Goa'uld anymore. She's not suffering…"

He knew it was true, but even as he said it he couldn't help feeling the familiar ache of missing her, worse now that he had seen her again. Not only did he have memories of what had happened six years ago from that point of view of being the younger, which were of course less clear, but of course he remembered it from the point of view he had now and what had, to him, happened over the past few days. The time spent with the older Sha're from his time had been pleasant even if filled with melancholy, but most of the rest of it was painful. Not that Daniel planned on admitting it to anyone, but he didn't know if he would be all right for a while.

O'Neill nodded. "Yeah, there's that…" It seemed as if he was going to say more, but then he looked up at the sound of shoes clicking on the infirmary floor. "Ah, here comes the new Doctor Lam. How's she dealing with you being in here all the time by the way?"

Daniel managed to laugh weakly at that. "I don't think she gets it yet. I think she still thinks all that was just a result of the trouble Vala made, not a regular occurrence."

"Ahh. Well, she'll learn, now won't she?" Jack grinned.


	40. Forever

Alas, now we come to the end of the story...yes, this is the last chapter. I have enjoyed writing this and hope you have all enjoyed reading it. I hope to hear reviews from you so I know what you think of the story and its ending. I've never thought myself good at endings, but if you think I'm wrong I'll listen to you. :P :) If you liked this story enough, I might do a sequal. Let me know if you want one. I already have something in mind... Anyway I couldn't have done it without you all readers and reviewers! Thank you all!

**Chapter 40**

Daniel lay quietly in his infirmary bed, half asleep. He was still too weak to do much more than talk to his friends when they came to visit him and he felt well enough to do so, and drift in and out of consciousness or sleep when he didn't. One staff weapon wound was always bad enough, but three was worse. He would be stuck in the infirmary for another few days, and probably be forced to rest more at home after that.

Even though not fully conscious at the moment, he was still thinking of Sha're, but as he fell deeper into sleep he lost control of the memories that came to the surface. In his dreams, his mind returned to the past again, though whether the memory itself was sorrowful, or in a way happy even he couldn't decide.

* * *

_It was Thanksgiving Day, and the year was 1999. SG-1, Janet Fraiser, and her adopted human alien daughter Cassandra sat in Jack O'Neill's living room, engaged in friendly conversation after their hearty Thanksgiving dinner. Daniel was the only one of the group that was more subdued. After all, it had only been six weeks since Sha're's death. That was part of the reason the friends had decided to spend the holiday together; they could spend Christmas with their own families._

_Stargate Command's flagship exploration team planned on staying late at the colonel's house simply to be together, but by the time it grew dark Janet stood. _

_"Leaving so soon?" Jack asked._

_"Sorry to but out this early, but Cassie and I are going shopping in the morning," the doctor smiled. Cassie was standing as well, and the other four rose to bid goodbye to them._

_"Really?" Carter said brightly, embracing the girl. "I'm sure you'll have fun."_

_Cassandra smiled. "We would have invited you, Sam, but a holiday calls for mother-daughter bonding time."_

_Fraiser grinned. "Uh huh, I'm sure. But it probably has more to do with the fact that you want more clothes before school starts back on Monday."_

_"Ah, she took notes on junior high fashion, did she?" Sam teased. _

_Cassie rolled her eyes. "Stop it you two. Of _course_ I did, but I want to spend time with mom, too," she insisted._

_"I know you do," Janet replied, hugging her. _

_"Later, Janet, Cassie. Have a good time," Sam said._

_"I hope you find many suitable and inexpensive garments," Teal'c smiled, bowing his head in their direction in farewell. _

_Cassie laughed. "Thanks, Teal'c. See you later." Then, having already said goodbye to Carter, her next move was to hug Jack and Daniel. _

_"Later guys," she smiled. "It was fun."_

_"Bye," Daniel said in return, unable to resist giving the girl a smile._

_"Good night, Cassie," Jack grinned in return. _

_"Bye!" she said once more, gathering up her coat and following Janet from the house. "The food was good, Jack!" she called as a final though before waving and closing the door behind her._

_O'Neill's grin only widened as she left. "You're Welcome. Yep, having had a family still comes in handy sometimes…" He said it without thinking, but immediately regretted it when he saw the pained look that immediately appeared on Daniel's face. _

_"Ooops…" he muttered._

_Daniel, however, heard him, and didn't want his friend to feel guilty about it. "No, Jack, it's okay," he said, swallowing back the lump in his throat. But it wasn't okay, _he_ wasn't okay, and they all knew it. _

_For the weeks since Sha're's death life had gone on, they'd gone off-world…but to all of them it felt different. Daniel was quieter than usual, almost numb, and it worried all of them. They'd tried to talk to him, to comfort him, but he didn't seem to want it. He'd forgiven Teal'c immediately, and as well his friends knew him they knew it was genuine, and he'd told them about the message Sha're had sent to him through the ribbon device telling him to find the boy and to forgive Teal'c…but it still wasn't right yet. Life had gone on, but it hadn't yet returned to normal--only a façade semblance of normal. It was as if Daniel had been walking through the days blindly since that day weeks ago._

_"I should go," Daniel said finally, starting for the door. He could feel tears pushing at the corners of his eyes and wondered where they'd come from. It wasn't Jack's comment, exactly, though that had contributed, but the feeling he'd been having all evening--of missing Sha're so much and wanting her here enjoying this day with his friends so badly that his chest literally hurt--had been building, and now felt ready to spill over for all to see. But if he was going to break down for once, he wasn't going to do it here._

_Jack's hand on his arm stopped him. "Wait a minute, Danny-boy. We were going to hang out late. You can't leave _now_." The colonel sighed as Daniel turned back to him. "Really, Daniel, can't you at least _try_ to cheer up some?"_

"_It is Thanksgiving, after all," Sam added, putting a hand on his arm. _

_Daniel blinked back tears and looked away. "What do _I_ have to be thankful for?"_

_Carter sighed. "Daniel…"_

_Jackson shook his head. "No, Sam. Don't try to tell me it'll be okay. It's _not_ okay. I promised her we'd be together—'forever', I said, but then Apophis took her, and I couldn't stop it, so I promised I'd find her, but I couldn't save her! And…and he was here, the other me was here, and he knew, but he didn't do anything about it. I hate him!"_

"_But, Daniel, that's no different than saying you hate yourself. You can't-"_

"_Why not, Jack?" Daniel scowled, pulling away from Sam's touch and taking a step back. "Why can't I hate myself? I let her die! I could have done something—'he' could have done something, but neither of us did. I couldn't stop Amaunet before she started trying to kill me, and he didn't want to damage the timeline and because of that Sha're is _dead. _It's not your fault, Teal'c, its mine. So why can't I hate myself?" he said heatedly._

"_Stop it, Daniel," Jack frowned. "You couldn't have known she was going to be there, and you couldn't have known Amaunet would try to kill you."_

_Sam continued, "And your future self was right in not trying to change what happened just because he wanted things to be different. We all saw him, Daniel. We all know how much it hurt him not to tell us what was going to happen to her. Maybe we didn't know why he was feeling the way he was at the time, but we know now. You can't blame him for this, Daniel, and you can't blame yourself either."_

_Daniel heard her, and a part of him knew she was right, but another part just wanted out. Gulping, he turned to the door. "Maybe I should just go…" he said again._

"_Daniel, just _wait_," Jack tried again. "We're your friends; we want to help you, but we can't do anything for you if you won't let us. Why don't you stay?"_

_The archaeologist shook his head weakly. "Not now, Jack," he said quietly, picking up his coat from the arm of the couch. He started to leave, and the rest of his team started to let him go, knowing they probably weren't going to get any farther on the subject tonight, but at the edge of the living room Daniel bumped into a free-standing shelf by accident, knocking a large photo album to the floor. _

"_Sorry," he mumbled, bending to pick it up._

_O'Neill saw which one it was, knew what was in it, and immediately know that at the moment it would probably only make Daniel feel worse if he saw what was inside. Instinctively he stepped foreword._

"_No, it's okay. I'll-" But he was too late._

_Daniel had already reached for the album and it had fallen open when he missed, leaving the pictures it held exposed. _

"_-get it," Jack finished, sighing as the pain expression in his friend's eyes only deepened. _

_Photos that someone had managed to take during the original mission to Abydos, and even a year later, when Jack, Kawalsky, and Feretti had returned along with Samantha Carter—the day Sha're had been taken by Apophis—looked up at him, and Daniel stared at the pictures that contained Sha're and himself. The tears in his eyes were pushing to escape, and O'Neill could see it. He knelt next to his friend to pick the book up, but Daniel held onto it, gently running his fingers over his wife's face. _

_And the tears started to fall. _

"_Daniel…?" O'Neill asked softly, as Carter and Teal'c knelt beside them as well._

_Daniel wasn't really listening, wasn't responding to the colonel's query, exactly, but he spoke. "I loved her, Jack. I didn't want her to die," he whispered, not caring if he was stating the obvious, or even if it sounded a bit pitiful. And the other three realized then that he hadn't meant some of what he'd said before. Daniel didn't really hate himself or anyone else, but he was hurting._

"_None of us wanted her to die, Daniel," Sam comforted gently, putting her hand on one of his bent knees. "We miss her too."_

_He shook his head again as if trying to understand something, not bothering to wipe away the tears that were flowing freely now, silently down his cheeks. "But…after everything we did to try to save her…why did she have to die?"_

"_I don't know," Jack answered truthfully, his heart aching for his friend. "But at least she doesn't have to live that way anymore; she's not trapped by the Goa'uld. She's free, Daniel. You can be thankful for _that."

_Daniel was still staring down at the open album. "I know…" he answered. Then he fell silent again, and his friends sat around him, just being there if he needed them. After another moment or so of silence his shoulders started to shake, and his noiseless tears became quiet sobs. "But I miss her," he cried. "I miss her."_

_Jack grimaced, his friend's pain reflected in his own face, and he could see a similar expression from Carter. Teal'c, too, looked distressed. So the team did the only thing they could do._

"_It's okay, Danny. It's okay…" Jack said, wrapping his arms around his sobbing friend as Daniel leaned into him and letting him cry on his shoulder. It was the storeroom after his sarcophagus addiction all over again, but this time Teal'c and Carter were there, too. Sam hugged him from the other side, offering her comfort as well, and Teal'c rested his hands on the younger man's shoulders. _

"_We're still here, Daniel, and we love you, too. You still have us," Sam said quietly as she held onto him. _

"_We are here for you, Daniel Jackson."_

_He nodded weakly against Jack's shoulder, but still cried. Again Daniel knew she was right, and he sobbed harder, missing Sha're, loving her…but loving his friends, too, and knowing that they wouldn't leave him. To know he had friends that cared this much for him was enough to make him want to cry all on its own. _

_Right now, they were all Daniel had to keep him going. Once he could pull himself together he would thank them, but for now it felt good just to be comforted. There had been no one there for him, really, when his parents had died, and he hadn't known any of his friends very well back when Sha're had first been taken, but now he did, and they were right…he had _them_, even if everything else in his life at the moment was down the drain._

I love you, Sha're_, he thought once more, silently sending the message that he would carry in his heart forever, before releasing his sorrow as he sobbed and finally allowing his friends to begin to help him heal.

* * *

_

Daniel woke to find tears on his face, and a hand holding his. Once his eyes were open the hand squeezed gently, and a friendly voice came from beside him.

"Daniel? Are you okay?" Sam asked in concern.

Jackson quickly brought his free hand up and wiped away the tears before looking toward her and gently squeezing back. "Yeah, I'm fine, Sam…What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home sleeping…?"

Carter grinned and glanced around them. "It's morning, silly. I got into work half an hour ago."

Daniel looked around as well, saw that the lights in the infirmary were up again and more people were bustling about the place, and blinked. "Oh…I guess it is."

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked.

"A little," he sighed.

It was then that Teal'c and Mitchell came up, planning to check on Jackson before beginning the day's work.

"Hey, Jackson, how's our archaeologist doing?"

Daniel smiled at them. "Hey guys."

Doctor Lam had seen that he awake and gathering a crowd and crossed over to them.

"Is Daniel Jackson improving, Doctor Lam?" Teal'c asked of her as soon as she was within earshot.

The doctor smiled at the group and checked the readouts of the monitor beside Daniel's bed. "Yes, he does seem to be doing pretty well, actually."

"So how long am I going to be stuck here this time?" Daniel asked.

Carolyn crossed her arms and stood. "Well, two or three more days, at least. And once I release you I want you off duty for another two weeks."

Daniel looked like he was going to protest--after all, the last thing he wanted was two and a half weeks to sit around with nothing to do but think about what had happened-- but Mitchell stepped in and did it for him.

"But doc, that's almost three weeks without him. What's SG-1 going to do?" he asked in good humor.

Daniel grinned. "I've been out of commission for that long before, Cam. You'll be fine without me." Not that he was happy about it, but he might as well make the best of it.

Mitchell shrugged. "If you say so, Daniel. But don't blame me if we all get shot down by some new aliens because we moved the wrong way and offended them."

Daniel laughed weakly at that, but stopped and grimaced when pain flared through his injured shoulder. Sam stood, took her hand away from his and put it on his other shoulder. "Easy, Daniel."

Doctor Lam looked at Daniel and then around at the rest of them. "All right, maybe we should let him rest now."

A moment before Daniel would have disagreed, wanting to talk to his friends more, but now he suddenly felt exhausted again and only nodded. He really must have lost a lot of blood.

"Okay," Sam sighed and nodded in agreement, then took and squeezed his hand again before moving off. "Get well," she smiled at him. "We'll be by to check on you again later."

Daniel squeezed back again before she let go, and gave a small smile in return. "See you later, Sam."

Teal'c and Mitchell said goodbye to him as well, and then all three were ushered away by Doctor Lam, who was every bit as protective of her patients as Janet Fraiser had ever been.

Once he was alone again Daniel closed his eyes and drifted back into sleep.

* * *

Samantha Carter turned off the engine to her car as she pulled up in front of Daniel's house. Beside her in the passenger's seat, Daniel fumbled as he tried to unbuckle his seatbelt, open the car door, and keep the single crutch that leaned against his seat from falling out of the vehicle--all with his left arm in a sling. 

"You want some help?" she smiled, pushing open her own door.

He smiled back at her sheepishly. "Uhm…yeah, thanks…"

Sam stepped out of the car, closed her door behind her and came around to the other side. Daniel had gotten the door open already, so she pulled the crutch from inside--he could only use one because of the arm in a sling--leaned it against the car, and took his hand to help him out. Daniel winced as she carefully pulled him to his feet, the muscles in his right forearm still rather sore even though the minor burn there was almost healed.

"You okay?" Carter asked, shutting the door once he was out.

"Yeah," he sighed, taking the crutch when she handed it back to him. "Thanks for bringing me home."

Sam smiled. "You're welcome. At least you're not stuck in the infirmary anymore, but are you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?"

"I'm not an invalid, Sam."

"I know, sorry…just concerned…" she said, walking with him as he hobbled toward his front door.

Under normal circumstances she would have been concerned, but known he could take care of himself. This time, however, the injury to his shoulder made it impossible to use two crutches, and his sore right arm didn't make it any easier to use the one he could. He wouldn't need one at all for very much longer, as the leg wound hadn't been too terribly much worse than the one on his forearm, but Carter couldn't stop herself from worrying about whether he'd be able to get around easily enough to be by himself.

"I know you are," Daniel answered. "But I'll be okay, really. You'd think I've gotten enough sleep the past few days, but I'll still probably do more of it…maybe sit in front of the History Channel for a while…"

"How did I know you were going to say something about that channel?" Sam grinned, shaking her head.

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know."

"It could have something to do with the fact that its all you ever watch."

"Well, I do occasionally skip over to the Discovery Channel…"

Carter raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, you're right, that's not much different," Daniel admitted. They had stopped at the door and were standing on the landing. Jackson was trying to pull his keys from his pocket without dropping the crutch and falling over. He retrieved his keys successfully, but was too late to keep his support from falling.

"Whoa!" Sam cried, catching Daniel's good arm as he gasped, his right leg fell out from under him and he dropped the keys. Looking around desperately trying to figure out what to do, Carter helped him hope backwards once so he could sit on the railing of the small concrete landing into front of the door. She made sure he was all right before bending to pick up the keys and open the door. Then she picked up Daniel's crutch from the ground, handed it to him and helped him stand and get into the house.

Once inside, Daniel went for the couch and collapsed there, out of breath from the incident.

"Are you all right?" Carter asked, worry etched on her face.

Daniel saw it and quickly put it to rest. "I'm fine, Sam. And it's not your fault, either," he smiled, knowing that Sam was just as quick to blame herself for things as he was to blame himself.

Sam nodded and sat on the edge of the couch beside him, where he was trying to get his injured leg up onto the cushions. "Here, let me help…" she said, and gently set it up onto the couch.

"Thanks," Daniel winced.

Carter sighed, and the two sat in silence for a moment. "So you'll be okay?"

"Yeah, Sam. You can go on."

"Okay," Sam answered. She leaned to hug him carefully before standing.

"Oh, Sam?"

"Hmm?"

"One more thing…?" he asked, his eyes now drawn to something across the room

"Sure."

"Could you bring me that?" he asked quietly, gesturing toward the mantelpiece over the fireplace. There was more than one thing on it, but it wasn't hard it figure out what Daniel wanted. Among other frames, one was a copy of his picture of Sha're.

Sam nodded and crossed to it, taking the photo from the mantle and bringing it back to him.

"Thank you," he smiled, taking it from her when she offered it.

"You're welcome," Sam answered. She smiled in return, but for some reason felt her throat clog up again. It had done that many times in the past few days, and even more often six years ago, when she'd seen what had happened to him while he'd been stuck in the past, and then after Sha're had died. A part of her hurt whenever Daniel or another of her friends did.

"See you later," she said finally. Usually Carter would have left then, but suddenly felt compelled to do more to comfort him, so she bent and gave Daniel's cheek a friendly kiss.

"Bye," he answered, pecking her cheek in return.

"Bye," Sam said finally, straightening. Then she smiled once more and left, promising herself she would return the next day to see how he was doing.

Daniel sighed and looked down at the framed picture in his hands once she had gone. _Another adventure come and gone…and nothing's changed. _Well, that wasn't entirely true. He had been able to see Sha're again. For two days he'd had her again, and again they'd had no choice but to part. But for once the tears didn't come only at the thought.

_We'll be together forever…even if its not physically,_ she had said, before stepping through the stargate without him.

_She was right,_ Daniel thought, running his fingers over the photo. And he knew then that he would be all right.

"I love you, Sha're," he whispered aloud, smiling to himself at her memory. "Forever," he added even more quietly.

And in his mind, he heard her voice from long ago. _Dan'iel, how long is 'forever'?_

"Forever is a 'long' time, Sha're…a very long time."

THE END


End file.
